Bitter Sweet Radio Girl and Angel Boy
by Lenle.G
Summary: "You are special Naruto... and one day... You're going to save the world." It was an ordinary day busking for Uni fee's when he met her and his life changed forever. Does Sasuke know the truth behind their father's death? Orochimaru wants his weapon back.
1. Chapter 1

Bitter Sweet

Radio Girl and Angel Boy

My body froze. She was _smiling?_ Why was she smiling? I was going to kill her. She would die. _No. No. No._ My heart felt heavy and cold. I couldn't let her die. I felt tears run down my cheeks. My breathing refused to obey me still, remaining horribly calm. My gaze blank. _I won't kill her. _The force of my determination burned in my chest. _I won't hurt her. I refuse._ The Kyuubi was telling me to tighten my grip._ No. **Kill her! **No! **Strangle her!** NO! I refuse. I won't. I won't hurt her. __**KILL HER!**___

Prologue

In this town, just west of nowhere, this screaming busker had fallen in love… In love with a voice, which I'd heard just… once before on the radio, such a long time ago...

I bang it on the table. A low, crackling sound buzzes in my ears. White noise. I'm starting to think the radio's broken, but then it splutters into life. A sweet high voice echoes in my ears. I've heard it before. Somewhere. Sometime. So… so long ago, and yet…

I will always remember that voice.

She laughs, softly, sweetly from my crackly radio box … seemingly at the silly grin pasted on my face. She is discussing music with a strong, male voice, he laughs with her. I feel jealousy bubble inside of me. But then... she sings.

And all the fears, the worries, the cares… the cold... they're just swept away like someone has taken a broom and simply brushed them aside. It's an old, old song, some parts about love, some about sorrow; it is sweet and simple, yet… I feel my heart flutter. A smile on my lips.

The radio crackles loudly.

A glass is slammed against the table at the bar next door. I hear raised voices and… yep… definitely the tinkle of glass. It probably broke.

The radio dies. Furiously I bang it on the floor – suddenly acutely aware of the buzz and bustle of noise around me.

Her voice is gone. Lost in the hubbub of this street. I throw the radio aside in disgust. It hits the edge of my guitar – the strings hum at me like angry wasps. I apologetically take it into my arms, and play a few notes. Someone drops a few coins into my cap that lies at my feet. I nod my head in thanks.

Then I look up to see the feet walking past me. A pair of converse… Doc martin's… a potentially deadly pair of stilettos. Then a pair stops. Grubby trainers.

"It needs new batteries".

I look up. Female, young, quite pretty, lilac eyes, blue-black hair, and pale-skinned with a dainty, pointed nose. She wears baggy, designer ripped jeans and a purple and black _Batman_ T-shirt. Her hair is down and flows across her back to her waist. She smiles and nods towards my radio.

"I beg your pardon?" I mutter.

"Batteries, for your radio" She hands me a five pound note "wouldn't want to miss the show".

"But…" I begin to protest.

"Keep the change" she says, with a smile… and just simply… walks away.

It was only later… when buying batteries at the local store, I realised that I'd heard that voice before. It was the voice of the girl from the radio.

It was her.

**...**

**...**

**A.N: Short Chapters, lots of updates – that's the way it goes! :D**

**Hope you've liked it so far, and want to read the rest!**

**If you did, drop Lenle a review! :D**

**Thanks :D xxx**

**Extra Note: Inspiration for this story was also taken from the Maximum Ride stories by James Patterson. This is a edit from last year's NanoWrimo. :D  
><strong>


	2. Chapter One

One

My name is Reginald Partelby Poncebery Smithe. I am incredibly rich and I live in a huge mansion in the county with a Jacuzzi, private indoor swimming pool and a bar.

_I wish._

My real name is Naruto Uzumaki, and, as I'm sure you'd love to know, I'm currently busking for my Uni fees.

Hurrah.

I sit here. My face reflected in the mucky glass of the co-op beside me - distorted by grime on both my features and the window. I glare at it for good measure, startling a man buying potatoes inside. It's a reasonably handsome face as it looks back at me, if I may say so. The mouth split by a grin, and a defined jaw line. I have three long whisker stripes on each cheek. I've no idea how I got them, they've been there all my life, and I was bullied as a kid because of them. A mop of bright blond hair sticks up haphazardly in the air and my fringe hangs before my eyes, which are a startling blue.

But mine could never compare to her eyes. Hers are eye's I'll remember forever. They're like twin, deep pools of serenity. Divine orbs. Looking into them is like diving into a lake of misty lilac – like the water of the Mediterranean on a warm summer's evening, but splashed with the soft colour of white ink.

I look down at my fingerless gloves. Someone else throws ten pence into my cap. I keep playing. It's a love song on my lips and fingers. There are threadbare holes in the right glove that twitch as I hold the little orange guitar pick. Tunnels delve into the thick weaving - like a tiny mouse has been nibbling at the fabric. I realise my thumb is poking out the wrong hole. I wiggle it, soft, pink, and fleshy. Not at all like her slender, gentle hands.

I remember a holiday I had once. It was the only one our small family ever went on. Me, my Mum Mikoto, Sasuke and… Dad. Sasuke's my little brother. I used to find him so annoying. He was such a bratty little kid. Funny how times have changed. He's so much more mature now. Everyone thinks he's the older brother. Which annoys the hell out of me. We're polar opposites - me with my blond hair and blue eyes – like Dad, and Sasuke with his black hair and dark eyes – like Mum. We went to Cyprus - the Mediterranean; stayed with a family there, ate strange foods, and climbed a mountain. My memory of the trip is fuzzy, like someone's half gone over it with an eraser just leaving those small dark smudges on the paper. It's not surprising really. I was only seven. The only thing I really remember is looking out at the sea - sparkling under the sunset...

That was before Dad died. I was eleven at the time. Sasuke was only nine. But time passes... and you learn to understand that he's never coming back – no matter how much you cry. Me and Sasuke were told it was a car accident at the time... It was a _kindness_ to tell us that... that we were told; "Daddies gone to heaven."

Sasuke didn't understand – he just kept asking when Dad would be back.

It always felt like he'd just popped to the shop on the corner to get some more ice cream or something... like he'd be back soon. But, of course, he never came back. I was told the truth two years ago. My Father, Minato Uzumaki, was stabbed by some young punk with a knife in an accident. The boy got seven years. Me and Sasuke lost our wonderful, funny, irreplaceable Dad... and got a lifetime of lingering sadness.

Sasuke passed his GCSE's early, at the age of 14 - with A's and A*'s on his certificates. He spent two premature years at College... and is now 16 working at a top electronics firm in London.

I'm 18, trying to get into Uni on C's at A-level, after two years at college, and with no funding other than my EMA allowance. So I busk for cash. I play the guitar. I'd like to go into music... probably meaning I'll never have any money... but I'm used to that already. Hahaha – not.

Sasuke lives with Mum on the outskirts of town in his own house, in the posh estate, near a picturesque railway station, and a forest. He practically has a mansion, complete with pool, Jacuzzi, and bar – you know - the lot. He's helped Mum out loads financially too. He paid off the family's debts that had piled up after Dad died. Dad was the one with the highly paid job. He was some kind of accountant or something I think. After his death we had so survive off the wages of a dinner lady.

Fun. Fun. Fun.

Anyway... I think it's good Sasuke supports Mum with his money. He's given her a real good life... she doesn't even have to work anymore.

Me. I want to do things my own way. I can't afford it all. but I want to do what I can. Even if that means having to worry about Uni fees and paying the rent on my flat. It's not the world's best flat... grubby, bad ventilation, and a cooker you have to kick (on the cross the previous owner had fashioned from blue electrical tape) to get working.

X marks the spot.

Bam.

6.30. - Now what's for tea. Look in fridge. No milk. No food. Fridge light didn't come on. Fridge broken? Great... oh... no it's just come unplugged. Plug it back in.

7.00. - Take out a can of beans. Unplug the fridge as you realise it's been using electricity pointlessly (as its empty) and running the bill on my electricity meter. Pick some mould out of an old saucepan. The non-stick's peeling off with it. Scowl. Put the beans into it. Give the cooker another kick for good luck. Bam. Cook beans.

7.15. - Wish you could afford a microwave. Wish you'd just got a take-away. Wish you had more money. Kick the cooker once more for good measure. Bam. Turn it off. Put beans on plate... no wait... can't find a plate... eat them out the saucepan.

7.30. Wash up if you can be bothered.

Hurrah. Living here must seem so exiting. Not. My flat has the catchy name of 'no. 22 Rammand place'. This block is filthy, packed with too many people, and a landlord who charges a crazy price. But it's my home. It's my life. And... It's not as bad as some peoples. At least I'll get to go to Uni. Some aren't so lucky.

Actually, as well as my student loan, I'm borrowing most of my accommodation fees for Uni off Sasuke. I'll probably never get to pay him back. But... I wish I could. He's a 'good boy' is Sasuke. I'll do my best to try to, so that one day, I might be able to repay him.

Whoa! Look at the time. Here I am moaning about my life and I'm going to be late for my third day at work. I just got a holiday job. To help with the Uni fees again. In 'Poundland' of all places. And no... I don't get paid a pound a day... ha-ha... I've hear that one about a million times off my mates. Oh and "how much does this cost"... very funny, very mature. I don't think.

**...**

**...**

**A.N: Well? We like so far? Drop Lenle a review if you did! :D**


	3. Chapter Two

Two

I'm sitting across the polished oak table from Sasuke. He's talking about work while making us sandwiches. I wanted to make my own... I hate relying on Sasuke. It's not that I'm ungrateful or anything... it's just... like I said before... I want to do things my own way. Maybe I just think it should be me helping... not my little brother. I look over at Mum. She's greying and getting more and more sallow and wrinkled... like someone's taken her papery thin skin and scrunched it up and pulled it about until it's too big for her - like she's shrunken inside it. She's so frail... and her skeletally bony hands shake slightly as she reaches for her glass of water. Sasuke pushes it towards her with a sigh.

"You're a good boy aren't you Sasuke?" her voice is old, tired and so quiet I struggle to hear her.

"Yes Mother. Now Naruto do you want anchovies or peanut butter?" His voice has become more snobby and patronising. Clipped and snippy. Upper-class. Posh. In his smart suit and black silk tie. He never used to be like that.

"Peanut butter." He knows I hate anchovies, and anyway, I'd brought the peanut butter with me specially.

"Right." He picks up the fine silver spreading knife, gripping it tightly, as if he's thinking he's too good to be making us working class scum sandwiches. But... I don't think he would think that sort of thing... I mean... He's Sasuke. My Brother. My mate. He's good to look after Mum like this.

He lathers the crust-less white bread with the half a pot of cheapy _Tesco_ peanut butter I'd brought, distastefully then slams the two sides of the bread together and splats the sandwich, complete with the indent of his palm, on to a plate.

I silently accept it.

He goes to the cupboard, takes out a tin of 'freshwater' anchovies and a jar of... _Canterbury finest_ peanut butter. I stare. He washes the knife off under the tap, wipes it on a linen cloth and starts carefully layering his peanut butter onto a slice of bread. He neatly folds another slice of his bread on top and passes it to Mum with a look at me that clearly said; _'Hey, look Naruto! I'm looking after Mum like you could never do, you good-for-nothing working class dobe!' _I glared back silently, hoping I'd misinterpreted that look completely.

I hadn't.

He takes another slice of bread. Neatly spreads his 'finest' peanut butter, and... Opens the tin of anchovies.

"You're not..." I stutter.

He smiles spitefully and places three slippery, fat, slimy, anchovies on top of his peanut butter. He keeps his eyes on me then places the last slice of bread onto the sandwich and... Takes a huge bite.

"Urgh" I mutter. He laughs. Suddenly, I recognise something in that laugh. He was my brother completing one of our childhood dares again, it was funny, innocent. My face cracked into a smile.

"Sasuke, that's gross!"

"Ahahaha! I know!"

"You're seriously going to eat that?"

"Yeah! It's great!"

He's lost all his upper-class snobbyness in a second. He's Sasuke again. Our Sasuke. Mum smiles. She likes it when her boys get along. He takes another bite.

"Anchovies not to your taste Naruto?" He suddenly sneers. My face falls. Dead serious.

"You know I hate them Sasuke."

I know what he was implying. I'm not posh enough... no... Not good enough to eat anchovies.

**...**

**...**

**A.N: Anchovies and Peanut butter... *shudders*...**

**EEEEEWWWWWW! D:**


	4. Chapter Three

Three

I've been given a place at Konoha Uni... I've got a place on music course... God knows how.

I'm just sitting here – staring at my approval letter like I don't believe it's real.

:'D

I remember Dad giving me my high school acceptance form. It was just before he died. We thought I'd not be accepted. I remember the look of relief on his face as I told them I'd got in. I wonder if I'm wearing that look now. I'm so similar to how he was now, my face almost a mirror of his, so I must be.

It was such a happy time. Me, Sasuke, Mum, Dad. A happy, normal, though high class family. Next thing you know Dad's gone and our now-even-smaller family has been thrown into poverty. Mum trying to get a new job... Not being able to afford new stationary... so little food... old school clothes... I remember being laughed at for my grubby, second hand trainers with their peeling soles and mouldy laces.

I turn the crisp white paper over. There's a load of spiel about the dress code, being on time, and a monthly paying of fees. Hurrah. Yawn. I read it briefly and check inside the envelope to find another piece of paper.

Hullo what's this?

I unfold the paper, running a hand through my blond spikes. It's a payment slip for my accommodation. Due in... Yesterday.

_Great._

I fill it out with a smudgy black biro, double checking before writing the amount into the little box, and then the bank details of the account where I knew the money that Sasuke had given me towards my Uni fees was waiting. I signed the bottom carefully, then rammed it into a envelope and hurtled down the stairs – clattering back up again to lock my door, before arriving at the front door, swinging my leg over my bike, and careering off down the street.

I arrived at Konoha University's Finance office, locked up my rusty old bike, flattened my mop of hair and dashed to the front desk. The woman behind it had her blond hair scraped back against her head into a bun with so much hairspray that it looked like it wouldn't move even if you threw rocks at it or something. She wore a too-tight emerald green dress and so much make-up that her original face was undistinguishable. Her lips were a bright, candied red that clashed with the hideous dress. She also wore a pair of thick, winged spectacles in the same horrible colour as her dress, balanced on the end of her pointed nose. They were studded with cheap, plastic glittery things. She pursed her gaudy red lips at me.

"How can I help you?" Her voice was high, patronising and droning. Her eyes were expressionless behind her spectacles and she picked tiredly at her long, red, fingernails. She was the epitome of boredom. She eyed my ripped jeans and tousled hair with distaste - In short – she was truly the secretary from hell.

"Urm... I brought my accommodation fees for this month in. Urm..." I handed her the slightly grubby envelope. She took it gingerly.

"It's a day late." she whinged, like she was talking to a three-year-old. _Yes_, I told her, _I knew that._

"Well, don't miss your deadlines in the future." She informed me, her slow, winey voice was starting to get on my nerves. She typed something into the computer – my details presumably. "Lovely" she said, in the least lovely voice I've ever heard. "Right... please confirm your name."

"Naruto Uzumaki"

"Address"

"Flat Number 22, Rammand place, Konoha."

"Please sign here" I did so. "Right then." She sealed up an envelope with everything inside. "Take this up in the lift to level four, and put it in the wooden box labelled 'late fees' please."

"Sure" I say. Anything to get away from her.

I take the envelope from her shiny red talons;

"Have a nice day"

_I will - Now I'm getting away from you._

I get into the Elevator and jab the 'level 4' button. I feel the lift rise beneath me. I hear the patronising voice of 'the lady of the lift'; as Sasuke used to call her, ring in my ears.

"Level Three – student cafe."

Three people get in. One guy and his loud mate both jab the button for level six. They both smells strongly of cigarettes. Then, a small, slender hand pokes the level four button. I look up. She smiles at me. I smile back.

_It's her._

I feel my face redden. We reach level four. I bump into her as we both go to leave at the same time. She giggles and smiles wider. I gesture for her to go first. She does. I get out. The other guy's in the lift talk loudly behind us. The lift doors shut. It goes up. We're still stood there. She turns to go.

"Hi!" I say quickly, my voice come out high pitched, squeaky. _Idiot. _I give a startled cough, trying to clear my turns back.

"Hello" – there it is again - her sweet, kind voice. My face reddens more, and I know she's looking at boiled lobster boy. There's a huge silence between us. She is next to speak: "Can I help you?"

"Urm... yes! No! Urm... well maybe... that depends..." I stammer. She notices the envelope in my hand and smiles her beautiful smile once more.

"Late Uni fees?" She asks. I nod dumbly and she points to a square brown box. "In there". I place the envelope in the box. "Hinata" she says.

"What?" I ask.

"Hinata Hyūga – that's my name"

"Oh." I stammer "Naruto... Naruto Uzumaki." She smiles.

"See you around Naruto"

"Yeah. See you around."

And then. Once more. She just simply... walks away.

...

I catch the lift in a daze. I cycle home, buying a can of spaghetti shapes from the co-op on the way back. I cook them. I kick the cooker a bit. I eat them. I go to bed. Nice and uneventful...

_Hinata_.

:D

...

That night I had a strange dream. Wings, white and celestial rose from my shoulder blades in proud twin arches. I reached out to touch them and the feathers were soft and smooth under my fingertips. Beautiful.

In the morning, my shoulder blades itched.

**...**

**...**

**A.N: Awwwwh! :D**

**Review if you liked! :D**


	5. Chapter Four

Four

I was late to my first day at Uni. I missed half my first lecture. They weren't impressed. I'd overslept. Then I couldn't find the right room...

They piled so much of what they called 'independent study' (homework to you and me) on us that I found myself with no free time to contemplate my financial position. I had so little free time I couldn't really worry about anything else. No busking. No sorting out my part-time job...

It was a whole week until I next saw her.

She was up a tree. Wearing the _Batman _T-shirt again. Near the Cafe. Reading a book. Dark hair blowing in the breeze. Fairy-tale style. She spotted me and waved. I felt my face go the horrible red of the receptionist's lipstick. I waved back. One of my mates, Kiba, nudged me and sniggered;

"You wav'in to monkey girl over there?"

"The freak?"

"The weirdo?"

I don't answer. I know her reputation from my friends. Apparently she's an outcast. Taking fine art and creative writing. She reads and draws all the time. Very quiet. Doesn't speak to anyone. Has no friends. I felt sorry for her. She smiled down from the tree at me. She climbed down.

"Ommigod! She's... like coming over here! Split!" My friends scurried off in opposite directions as... sure enough... she walks towards me. My legs stayed rooted to the spot. They wouldn't budge no matter how much I told them to. I was boiled lobster boy again.

"Hi Naruto" she says.

"Hi Hinata" I say. _Silence. Think of something to say you idiot... urm... _"Nice Weather." _MORON! What could have been worse to say!_ I screamed inside my head.

She laughed. I smiled a wobbly smile.

"Yeah" She grins "want to have a coffee together?" I remember thinking how straight to the point she was. I looked around. My friends were nowhere in sight.

"Ok" I said "ok."

Over a cup of steaming tea (I don't drink coffee... too much caffeine) she told me about herself. She wanted to be an explorer, an artist, an author. She wanted to be on stage, to travel the world, to see everything. She wanted to write stories. She wanted to dance. To sing. To _live_. To _smile_. She wanted a friend. She writes songs in her spare time. She's in a band. She's got her own show on the radio. She lent me money for batteries once. Her dad's got lots of money. He doesn't spend enough time with her. Her Mum died when she was born – she never knew her. She wishes she was older. She wishes she was younger. She loves ice-cream. Do I think she's fat? "No". She laughs at that. But this world scares her so very, very much.

I don't say a lot. I talk a bit about busking for money and borrowing off Sasuke. She says I sound jealous of him – I say "as if". I tell her about Sasuke... How he's changed. About Mum... Dad. I wonder why. She's more or less a stranger. But she's opened herself to me (of all people). For some reason... I trust her.

"You know Naruto. You're rather special"

I laugh at her. I know I shouldn't have. But there was no way I could ever have thought of myself as 'special'. Special-needs maybe. I ask her why on earth anyone would think a 'penniless loser' like me is special. I called her weird. I was as bad as my friends in that second. She gets up to leave, tears in her eyes. Instantly I feel bad. Awful. Furious with myself.

Just before she left, she turned back and spoke a few words that I will remember forever.

"You are special Naruto... and one day... You're going to save the world."

**...**

**...**

**A.N: World saving? Good luck Naru-chan! :D xxx**


	6. Chapter Five

Five

That day. It was I who walked away from her.

I am so ashamed of that afternoon.

But I didn't have long to dwell on it.

Sasuke turned up at student union the next day. Demanding money. His money.

"Naruto." His smile was cruel, tight "where is it?"

I turn round. I'd been chatting with my mates. It had all been pointless babble - girls, the course, petty things... then.

Bam.

There he was. I don't know how or when he got there. I didn't hear him sneak up on me or anything. He was just there.

_Weird._

"Sasuke? What?" I stammered, doing a perfect impression of the half wit he thought I was. He smiled that freaky smile once more.

"My money Naruto. I want it back. I need it back."

My friends continued to babble behind me. I stared at him. I laughed. He frowned.

"That's a bit quick! How'd you expect me to have anything ready?"

His eyes narrowed, becoming dark and leering. The smile dropped from my face like a stone.

"Naruto. I need that money. Now."

"Well, I don't have it! Do I? What do you think you're doing Sasuke! You can't just... demand money off me..."

"I can and I am. It's my money. I need it Naruto. Give it to me" My friends had left me. Some friends they are. I made a mental note to get some better ones... Hinata crossed my mind – then I remembered our ridiculous argument and blushed. I must make it up to her. If she even gives me a second thought. No reason why she should... the bell rings. I'm stuck in a corridor with him... alone... and I'm late for my lecture. Great.

"I have to go Sasuke." I smile carefully "I'll get it to you when I can." I turn to go.

"And when will that be!" He shouts after me. There is a loud click. I stop. Horrified at what I think I just heard. I turn, slowly, afraid.

I was right.

The click was that of him loading a gun.

The gun was pointing at me.

"Sasuke" I try to laugh "what are you doing?"

"Give me the money. I need it. NOW!" I jump as his voice is raised. Slowly I raise my hands into the air. I notice his hands shaking, his finger on the black trigger jiggles. His eyes are wild. Strange. They had dark, black circles under them... and the pupils were thin, dark, scared – rolling in the large white expanse of his eyes. This was not the Sasuke I knew...

"Sasuke... Stop. Stop now... please" I beg him, my voice pleading, low and scared. I felt sweat beading on my forehead. "Sasuke." _Brother _"Sasuke..."

The gun shook in his hands. Hands that grasped the gun so tightly they were white as his collection of fine china, they were knuckled, bony... skeletal.

"SASUKE!" I yelled.

"NARUTO! Shut up! All you do is jabber on!" he snarled "plweese! Plweese don't shooot!" he mimicked words I hadn't quite said, in a whiney, patronising voice with a cruel sneer on his face. Then his tone dropped back to hard and cruel - "Give me the money!"

"I CAN'T!" I scream in frustration.

His face fell flat. Expressionless. A mask of a man I no longer knew. Grey. Pallid. Alien.

"Just die." he growled, and pointed the gun at my chest.

_This is the end._ I thought. I closed my eyes. For that second, I believe... time stood still.

Then...

He fired.

**...**

**...**

**A.N: Dun Dun Duuuuun!**

**:O**

**So Sasuke seems evil... but is he really?**


	7. Chapter Six

Six

I crashed to the floor. Colours swirled before my eyes. Red. Blood. Unmistakeable. I felt no pain, aside from a deep aching, like bruises, down my side, where I fell. I realised my eyes were closed, squashed up with fear. I felt a hand on my arm. Someone calling my name. Noises were all disjointed. Confusing.

I opened my eyes.

Sasuke stared across the corridor at me. Looking down on me. His face was chalk white, terrified. Clutching the gun like it was alive.

Then he ran.

I felt the hand on my arm again. I tore my gaze from where my brother had been a second before. I looked across.

Hinata was slumped against me, one hand on my arm, the other one her own. Her face was scrunched up in pain. Something red and sticky was seeping between her fingers.

_Blood._

_My god she's bleeding._

My brain didn't register why at first. I ripped a strip of my orange t-shirt sleeve – like they do in the movies – and wrapped it around her bleeding arm. I dragged her up, onto her feet. She was shaking. She swayed. I held her shoulders steady. I felt my heart thumping frantically against my ribcage. I took her uninjured arm and dragged her towards the toilets on our corridor. I pushed her in the men's. There was no-one else in there.

_Thank God._

Taking some paper towels, I wet them under the taps and wiped the blood from her hands and from around the make-shift bandage. She winced.

I looked in the mirror. I had blood on my face. I wiped that off too. I turned to her. She was gripping the sink for support, her hands shaking.

"What happened?" I asked "What in god's name happened?"

She smiled at me fearfully. I took her shaking frame into my arms and hugged her. She started to sob, great big tears rolling down her cheeks and into my t-shirt.

"That guy... he tried to kill you!" she pummelled her fists against my chest – petrified.

"Sasuke..." I mumbled. She looked up.

"What?" I wiped the tears from her face; her eyes were wide and scared. I shrugged and looked away. "Did you know him?" she asked.

"He... I... Yes." I stared at the floor. She asked me who he was. "His name is Sasuke." She gasps.

"Your brother. That was your brother?"

"My brother tried to kill me." I stared at myself in a mirror. Seeing my face was as white and scared as hers. My eyes were wide, weepy. I had a brownish-red smear of blood remaining on my cheekbone. I rubbed at it with the bottom of my decimated orange t-shirt.

"Naruto" As she spoke her fragile frame trembled and suddenly I was acutely aware of her hugging me. Some of the colour flooded back into my face. She clutched her injured arm to her. I let go of her quickly. I'd forgotten she was injured. _Idiot!_

"Urm... urm..." I fished my phone out of my pocket "should I phone for an ambulance?"

"NO!" she shouted. I jumped. "Sorry... no. You mustn't... I can't have them involved with me... they'd notify the police... scientists... they... can't..." she slid down to a sitting position, her face pale. I stared down at her.

"What happened?" I questioned once more aloud.

"That man... Sasuke... Your brother... fired a gun at you. He wanted to kill you Naruto. It... I... that is..."she trailed off.

"So you thought you'd jump out and try to get yourself killed did you?" I half screamed at her.

"Better than you being dead!" she yelled back.

"Sorry" I say.

"Me too." She whispers. I look at her. She looks at me. The sudden silence is deafening.

)':

"Hinata" I'm the first to speak. To break the silence. "Why?"

"Because you're so, so important Naruto. Special. I've told you, right? You're going to save the world" I roll my eyes at her.

"What world are you living in?" I hear my own frustrated voice crying "Do you even know what you're saying? This world can't be saved by someone like me. You've got the wrong guy. I'm just an ordinary guy with no money. What does it need saving from anyway... boring politicians? The queen? Camp footballers?" She laughs tiredly at me.

"Don't be silly Naruto... Ow" She pauses tearfully, holding her arm. I kneel by her. The questions can wait. I consider taking her to reception. I run the idea by her. She refuses. Hospital? She refuses. Somewhere, anywhere where someone can help her? She refuses. I bang my hand against the floor in irritation.

I ended up running to a science lab, borrowing a first aid kit, and running back to the toilets to bandage her up. She smiled weakly at me with the clean white of the bandage poking out from under the sleeve of her stained t-shirt.

"We have to go somewhere" I say "we can't just sit here." The bell rang again. I'd missed the whole of my lecture. I groaned. "They'll be boys in here soon" I say. She doesn't seem to care. "Hinata... please... we have to go somewhere." She frowns at me. "Ok. You can come to my place. I'll even cook you tea if you like."

"You can cook?" she asks with a soft laugh.

"Sure." I grin "if it's baked beans on toast." Her face falls. I think at first it's because she doesn't like baked beans, but then she says:

"What if he's there waiting for you?" I swallow, remembering the look on Sasuke's face as he pointed a gun at me. I shrug, trying to act like some kind of strong, macho, carefree man out of the movies. "We'll go to my house" she decides for me.

And so... we did.

We took my bike. She sat on the back, holding onto me with one arm across my chest. Her un-injured arm. It was tricky, having two on my rickety old bike. But we managed it. My friends laughed as we cycled past.

"Ahahaha! Look he's been with that weird-eyed monkey girl!"

"What a freak! Maybe they're in loooove!"

"Hey Naruto! You missed our lecture! Were you with that little...?"

I ignored them. I cycled on. Out of college. Up the road. Turning left at the cross roads. Listening to her instructions. Turn right. Up the alleyway – it's a short cut apparently. I have only a vague idea where we're going. The posh estate on the edge of our district. The one with the huge mansions with large gardens and beautiful old stone work. They have huge pools... Jacuzzis... sports cars... expensive pets... bars... helicopters... the lot. One even has a private church. Like a _'Sims'_ house but... bigger.

Sasuke lives round here.

I tell her so. She stares at me.

"Really?" she asks, and then tells me to keep pedalling.

I do so.

"So where exactly do you live?"

"Just up here"

"This way?"

"Yep"

I kept pedalling, my legs aching under the weight of us both.

"Are we nearly there yet?" I cried. She laughs. I pedal on... and on... and on...

"STOP!" she yells. I almost jump out of my skin, slamming on the brakes and swerving to a halt. I jam my heels into the floor to stop us from toppling over. I look up.

"What... here?"

"Where else" she smiles and clambers of the back of my bike. I stare.

"Whoa!"

Before me rises a mansion. No... Bigger than a mansion... it's... a castle? A fort? A palace? It's about five, six, seven, times bigger than Sasuke's house. It's set far, far apart from the other houses – a whole estate of its own. The front rises up before me like a mountain, with pillars cascading across the front and clad mostly in some kind of grey and white mottled marble. There is a triangular structure balanced precariously at the top of the house, supported by the pillars and swathed in gargoyles and stone angels smiling benignly at me from their high perch. I glance around at the huge expanse of garden, filled with exotic plants, ponds, trees and a huge, Victorian greenhouse with classic beautiful arches. The house extends behind the garden, out to the sides, and another few acres of garden stretch behind it. Though a high, arched window, I can see high-ceilinged rooms with modern looking decoration. A huge TV set. A maid scurries past. A chandelier sparkles. I gape.

"Whoa..." I say again.

"Come on" She laughs again, her voice high and sparkling. And she begins to walk towards it. I follow her, my feet dragging as I stare up in awe at the building in front of me.

"You live here?" I murmur, more to myself than anyone – but naturally I get a sarcastic little reply accompanied by that laugh of hers:

"Well done!"

I gave a goofy smile and lumbered on. After tottering though the huge iron black gate and walking along the path and taking her steps to the front door three at a time, I came to the colossal front door. It was painted a deep, shiny red, and had a huge black door knocker in the shape of a lion's head. Hinata fumbled in her bag, and produced a surprisingly normal looking key – like my own for my flat, but on a purple, furry keychain. She fitted it into the lock and turned it with a grin.

"Here we go..." she flung the door open to reveal a long hallway, stretching into the distance and lined with polished wooden doors. The flooring was shiny and expensive and the walls were painted a creamy white. Ornaments that made me think of expensive 'Ming vases' that you should NEVER EVER break, you know - like you get on TV programs. In movies. Two maids bowed as we entered, and took her coat. One was tall with dark hair and almost red eyes, and the younger had a sweet face and brown hair scraped into buns. Speechless I stared wildly around at the decor, my eyes like saucers and my mouth gaping open.

"Whoa." I say again and she gently punches my arm.

"I thought you said your brother has an estate?" she beamed "don't look so surprised!"

"An estate!" I turn to stare at her "Sasuke has a flipping mansion... but this... this is unreal! It's like a movie set!" she laughs some more, and tells me to stop standing in the doorway. We walk down the hall way... well... I follow her... We take the fourteenth door... me staring around wildly like a loony. We go through a long, thin room, with the huge TV in (which as I was yet to find out was one of many home cinema systems in her... house). She knocks on a panelled door and calls:

"Dad! I have a friend round. I'll be in my room!"

She gets a muffled reply that I don't hear, and happily skips off – with me trailing behind her. She rings a little hand bell on a table and a maid appears beside us.

"Yes Marm?" – She is wearing an old fashioned black and white pinafore, knee length with black stockings and accompanying mop cap. Hinata speaks quietly with her, and I follow her down yet another corridor. We stop.

"This is my room"

She opens the large wooden panelled door.

"Whoa!"

"Stop saying that!"

"But... but... it's..."

"Big?"

"Huuuuge!" I cry.

I'm standing in a... hall. It's painted deep, royal purple with large windows and heavy, violet velvet curtains that flood the room with light. Two... no... Three chandeliers hang from a sculpted ceiling; patterned with stone carvings that arc and twist their way across the expanse. There's a ginormous four-poster double bed with purple velvet hangings and violet carpets adorn the expensive wooden flooring. She has the biggest hi-fi stereo I have ever seen and a flat-screen TV taking up an immense space of her wall. Three dressing tables over there, a walk in wardrobe on the left, many, many cupboards along the walls. All packed up neat a tidy. _Not like my flat!_ But then...You could fit it whole into that this room eight times over... and still have room to spare.

She flops on her bed so normally, she's so used to and comfortable in her surroundings, that for a moment I stand and gape at her rather than her room. The maid comes in; she eyes me with obvious distain, like something bad under her nose. She reminds me of the secretary at college. I smile to myself. _Maybe they're related._ The maid has long blond hair, sharp blue eyes, and is carrying a first aid kit. With a pang of guilt, I remember Hinata's wound.

I have to leave the room while the maid bandages her up. I get told the wound's not too bad, the bullet just grazed her. I still feel awfully guilty. The first thing I say when I get back in the room is;

"Sorry". She shrugs at me and smiles.

"It's cool" she says. I take another good look around her room in awe.

"This is your... room?" I double check and she nods. I'm so tempted to say 'whoa' once more... for the hell of it... but I refrain from doing so. There's a small, awkward silence between us, but then Hinata starts talking about random stuff like college homework, and its fine. We talk about her house for a bit. She has a heated pool in her back garden, and another private pool inside. I tell her how cool it is. We laugh... lots.

"I live here with my Father"

"Just the two of you?"

"Yep, well, and we have four maids and my father's butler. Ino, who you just saw, she's the head of the staff, she's been with our family for years. Kurenai and Tenten, who met us in the hall, they do the cooking and things. Then there's Chloe. She's quite new, joined us last month. She does the odd jobs about the place. It takes a lot of dusting after all!" she laughs some more at her own joke "Then there's my father's butler – Kakashi, who sort of does his job and acts like a security guard really. Oh... and there's Jiraiya the window cleaner who comes on Saturdays, he also cleans out the pools, and does the garden..." she sees the astounded look on my face and smiles. "How about you then? What about your family? You're servants?"

"Servants? Me? As if! Like I have the money to do that!"

"Sorry." she says "I forgot." I forgive her immediately and she smiles worriedly.

"Family... well, you know... there 's me... mum and... well Sasuke." She glances at her bandage, and catches my eye blushing; I think she hoped I hadn't noticed her look... "He lives in a big house... but it's... nothing compared to this!" I continue.

"Why did he try to shoot you?" she says in a small voice. I look over at her, she avoids making eye contact.

"I don't know Hinata. I don't know."

**...**

**...**

**A.N: Chloe? You ask. That's not a Naruto character! ... Exactly... *Smirks* :3**

**Ino, Kurenai, and Tenten are maids! Kakashi's a butler! Ero-sennin's a window cleaner! Wonder why he wanted that job... looking in peoples windows... *Laughs* :D**

**You like? Reviews please! xxx**


	8. Chapter Seven

Seven

I sit on her bed and we talk about stuff. The kind of meaningless stuff I'm used to. Other people, famous people, college... shoulder blades for some reason. She has ideas on religion so similar to mine... yet, she thinks there are angels among us... she says it so seriously, I can't doubt her. We laugh about some stuff and... She invites me to tea. I mumble a bit, but somehow she persuades me to accept. Our conversation is punctuated by that gorgeous laugh. I smile.

Distantly I hear the ring of a bell. A soft, small tinkle. Hinata stands up.

"That's the lunch bell." She tells me. "We've got ten minutes to be ready and to get to the dining hall; I have to get changed, wait outside for me please".

I stood outside, letting a brown-haired maid, Tenten I think, in as I left.

I remember looking round at the expensive furnishings, and in particular a beautiful vase on a small wooden table. There are many such vases around the mansion. Dad used to have one. I expect it got taken away when they cleared out the house. That was back when we had a big house. A mansion – but nothing compared to Hinata's. Dad worked for the same law firm as Sasuke does – in London. Our family house was just up the road form where Sasuke lives now. Dad was successful, like Sasuke. We were so happy with our little family. Until that guy with that knife came along. I sigh aloud.

"Is something wrong?" A young, tender voice made me jump. I turned to see a girl, dressed in full black and white - maid attire, she was smiling at me. She wore a white pinafore and a mop cap on. Red hair, brown eyes, small nose. Overall – quite cute.

"No, it's fine" I say. She looks me up and down and smirks.

"You're staying for tea correct?"

"Yes", I tell her. Then she laughs at me, her voice is youthful and clear.

"You can't go looking like that! Come with me, I'll alert the young mistress that you'll be meeting her in the dining hall." I agree, not knowing what else to say to her uptight manner. She pokes her dainty head round the door and calls out to the maid in Hinata's room.

I then follow her down the hallway, into an even larger room, we go into a walk in wardrobe, and she begins to rifle through layers of suits. She picks out one after the other, holding each up to me, and tutting. Then she pauses, her fingers lingering on the sleeve of a black suit. She picks it out and has a good look at it.

"This hasn't been worn since..."

"Since?" I ask. She hangs her head and takes a deep, sharp breath in.

"Since the young master died."

I stare at her. No idea what on earth she was on about.

"Who?" I ask. She jumps, blushing.

"I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up... you... don't... don't know do you know?"

"Know what?" I ask. She frowns.

"I shouldn't tell you... It's not my place. But, thinking about it, it's not surprising you don't know. They don't talk about him at all anymore. I was told by another maid. I haven't been working here that long you see. But... anyway... I believe you should know." She hung the suit back up on the rail and turned to face me "Apparently, Miss Hinata once had an older brother. By the name of Neji. He was tragically killed... in a road accident... two years ago. He... he left dear Hinata as the sudden only heir of the estate. It was quite a shock." She faced away from me, skimming the rail once more. "Please don't impart this information lightly, or speak of it to the young mistress, it would make her quite upset" I promise not to.

She picks out a pink suit, and we laugh together for a moment. She settles for a smart, black suit, with a white shirt, and a black necktie. She cuffs are silver and the material is expensive looking. I slip into it, as she folds my clothes into a neat pile for me to pick up later. She has to tie the necktie for me.

I then follow her down another hall – marvelling at the grandeur of the place. As we reach a huge pair of oak double doors, I hear another bell ring.

"Thanks" I whisper. She smiles and knocks delicately. The grand double doors open before me.

"Whoa" I murmur. I was greeted by seven, colossal chandeliers that graced the ceiling and spread fingers of dazzling light around the room. The walls were lined with bookshelves graced by hundreds and hundreds of books. I wondered if they'd all been read. Servants lined the table – all of them in the house it seemed. For having such a huge house, they didn't seem to have all that many... A long, dark-stained wooded table with delicate carved legs, and inlayed section of a lighter coloured wood, cruised down the centre of the room. It was lined by around fifty chairs, and perched delicately on the last chair, furthest away from me; at the head of the table... was the most beautiful girl I have ever seen.

She wore a pale purple dress of soft, glittering fabric that puffed out at the waist and came flowing down like a glistening lilac river, dappled with pricks of light. Her shiny, blue-black locks were twisted up into a sleek knot at the back of her head, and flowers and plaits wove their way through the smooth bundle. Her fringe was carefully swept to the side, out of her eyes and gently positioned above her perfect eyebrows. Her skin was soft, light and full of youth. Her lilac eyes sparkled in the light of the chandeliers and her smile seemed to dance in the light.

_Hinata_.

She raised an eyebrow at me. As if to say; _'what are you looking at?'_ I grinned and the maid next to me led me to my seat, next to Hinata. I perched nervously on the carved chair, with a soft, cashmere cushion.

"Nice suit." she whispered in my ear.

"Nice dress." I muttered in response.

"Will my Father be joining us?" she asks a maid with a fragile smile.

"I'm afraid not my lady."

Hinata sighed. Here she was, dressed up like a princess for her father and he's not even going to show. She sees my look of concern and flashes me a beautiful smile.

"It's ok Naruto. He's not usually here... he works you see..." she trails off miserably. I am about to say something wonderfully sympathetic, when the double doors crash open.

"I apologise of my lateness!" Booms the grand voice of the man standing in the doorway. He is tall, muscularly built and has a long, brown-black hair. He is wearing a top hat and tails, and carries a cane – like someone straight out of an old novel. He bow's solemnly as he speaks and a smile wavers on his lips. His eyes are the same as Hinata's, shining white in the light of the chandeliers.

"Father!" cries Hinata, leaping out of her chair and running into his arms. They hug briefly.

"I am sorry Hinata my darling, I really am." His face cracks into a true smile.

"It's fine Father." She laughs, her smile betraying her joy. "I thought you were busy with work?"

"It can wait," he smiles softly "after all I need to see my daughter once in a while, don't I? Keep you out of trouble. Anyway, we have a guest don't we. It would be impolite not to present myself. And what a... charming young man he is." He bends down to whisper sternly to Hinata; I only just catch his words "I was expecting a girl, Hinata, really, bringing a man into the house... I mean..."

"It's ok Father... This is Naruto" she beams.

"Naruto?" he repeats, surprised. "That Naruto? The one who...?"

"Will save the world." Hinata says so confidently, definitely. Like it's the only thing she's ever been sure of. Her eyes shine with such hope and admiration, that I feel my face turning bright red. I stand up.

"Urm Hinata..." I stammer, pushing my chair back.

"Naruto!" booms her father, a grand smile on his face and a glimmer of hope in his own pale eyes. "Naruto! Ah... all our hopes resting on such young shoulders... I had hoped he'd be a little... older." He and his daughter both stared at me and I squirmed uncomfortably under their gaze.

"Father! He's my age, we go to college together... remember?"

"Ah yes" he recalls and shakes my hand – it's a powerful handshake, and I felt my fingers aching under his iron grip. "I've heard a lot about you Naruto... Uzumaki is it?"

"Yes" I say.

"Hiashi Hyūga._" _He shakes my hand again as introduces himself, those white eyes sharp and intelligent.And then we sit, chat and eat... any mention of saving the world is forgotten under plates and plates of the most delicious food I have ever had. The starter was melon, sliced thin with Parma ham and olives. We had fruity tea to drink... and then came the main - It was some kind of meat, stuffed with vegetables and glistening with hot, sticky gravy. Pudding was profiteroles – my favourite. We then had cocktails and some funny little canapés on sticks that you were meant to eat by pulling them off politely between your teeth.

It was truly the best thing I have eaten in my life.

We talked about simple things – _how's Hinata doing in college? Does she have many friends? Does she need her maid at college? _– They had a dispute over that one. Then me – _do I want anymore fruit tea? What's my life like? How's college going for me?_ I answered as simply as I could, trying not to let on that I couldn't afford as much as the teaspoon I was using, which Hinata decidedly informed me was actually solid silver, engraved and inlayed with mother of pearl and gold by some famous artist...

After dinner, Hinata and I changed back into our normal clothes and her father went back to working in his office. She turns her back on me, arms clasped around her waist.

"You know... that was the nicest dinner I've ever had... usually... usually it's just me and the servants. I sit alone at that long table... You're the first true friend I've asked to tea... I don't really have any others... sure, there's the poncy, stuck-up rich kids I've grown up with... but they only care about having lots of money... and being famous and popular... and I only see them at annual balls and things... it's so much... nicer like this... you... Dad..." I heard her give a small sob. I reached out and touched her on the shoulder, not knowing what to say. "He's always stuck in that office working... he only ever sees me when I come in to say goodnight... it's not... NOT FAIR!" she howls and then we're hugging as she cries, clinging to me like a limpet.

"It's ok" I say, a bit shocked, even though it's not ok. I stroke her hair and wait until l she calms down. The make-up she put on for dinner runs in smudgy black ravines downs her cheeks. Finally, she stops crying and hugs me back.

"Yeah." she says, falling back into a far more casual way of speaking, falling into normality "It's ok... because you're going to save the world." She looks up at me with hopeful eyes. I sigh and we break apart.

"How on earth am I meant to save the world?" I ask, running a frustrated hand through my hair.

"You can fly Naruto" she whispers "You can fly". I laugh at her.

"Oh come on! As if? Hinata?"

"You're wonderful Naruto... you can do anything."

"No. No you've got it wrong. I'm just a student with no money and... No life... You've got the wrong guy... Hinata please. I'm just a loser. You want someone like... my brother... like Sasuke... You know... someone with money, someone smart, clever, who can help you... I can't! You don't need me! I can't fly! I can't save the world! Not me..."

"No Naruto. It's you. It has to be you. It was always you." And her face was so solemn and sure I faltered and for a moment, wanted to believe her with all my heart.

_But save the world?_

That was ridiculous.

**...**

**...**

**A.N: Yes! Go Save the World Naru-chan! :D xxx**

**Orochimaru's plotting...**


	9. Chapter Eight

Eight

I flop in one of her chairs.

"Hinata... I don't understand" I tell her. She looks close to tears again.

"There are these men. Bad men" she whispers, her voice barely louder than a mouse. "They killed my brother."

"You're... brother... Neji?" I say. He looks up at me in surprise.

"You know about him?" She seems shocked. I remember I'm not supposed to know.

"One of your maids told me..." I admit, blushing.

"Which one?" she asks sharply, her face creased by a frown.

"The one with the red hair... who gave me the suit to wear." She looks at me puzzled.

"We don't have a maid with red hair." She tells me, frowning. I stare at her.

"She definitely had red hair..." I stammer "and... a maid's outfit... she led me to the hall"

"You came into the hall alone Naruto – all the servants were already in the hall... well apart from Chloe... She's been ill, I saw her earlier... and anyway she's blond like Ino!"

"What...?" I stammer. "Thinking about it... I don't remember seeing her after I went in the hall."

"I'll have to make a enquiry with father" her voice was panicked and scared as she wiped the tears and smudges from her face with her sleeve "to see if he's hired any new staff..."

"What if he hasn't...?" I ask.

"Then she could have been one of them..."

"Them?"

"The bad men... we call them... that is... their group... The Inquisition."

I remember how hearing that name for the first time just then sent shivers down my spine as I heard her sweet voice say it with such bitterness... such sadness... such... anger.

We walked... no practically ran to her father's study. She burst through the door without knocking and asked questions so fast, in such a panicked voice, that I was terrified. Question after question floated around in my head.

_Who was the 'Inquisition'? What were they doing? Why are they so afraid of them? What am I supposed to do? How can I help? What should I do? I can't just stand here... should I say something... what if the maid's hair wasn't red after all... what if I just thought it was... no... I'm being silly... it was red... definitely red... no doubt... so... who was she? Why was she there? Was she armed? Was she after Hinata? Her father? Me? If me... why me? Because I'm supposed to... save the world?_

Round and round and round... like a vicious circle.

Hinata's father denied hiring a new maid. He'd never seen her before. He thought she was a spy. One of 'them'. He wondered about her mission. Why she was there. Why...

I slapped my head with the palm of my hand. I was so stupid. I open my moth to speak. We'd not even told Hinata's father about... Sasuke. I pause. He shot her. _What would her father do? Call the police? Get Sasuke arrested? Shoot Sasuke himself? _I watched him hug his daughter. I couldn't tell him. I felt too guilty... it had been my fault she got injured... _he'd probably kill me too_... I closed my mouth tight.

"But she knew about Neji." I say. Her father starts in surprise. No-one talks about this Neji guy in this house apparently. It's taboo as I recall. Fear flickered across his face as all the blood in it drains out, leaving his features a shocked, ghostly white.

"She was one of them" he says hoarsely with a scowl. Then changes the subject off Hinata's mystery brother.

He urgently tells Hinata to stay with his grey haired butler Kakashi at all times. He tells me not to go home until daylight. I hadn't realised that night had crept up on me... He gives me a room and I sit on the bed – trying to shake the questions out of my head.

About midnight I get up. I wander down the corridor looking for the bathroom. I get hopelessly lost. _Great._ Typical me. Every door looks identical in the dark; I pad past them in my borrowed slippers and PJ's. I rub my arms, wishing I had my dressing gown from home.

Then, I recognise a door through the gloom.

_Hinata's room._

I pause in front of her door. Kakashi is standing there and attempts to smile at me warily.

"Urm... the bathroom?" I whisper. Relived, he grins and points down the hall, three doors down. I scuttle off, thanking him.

I open the door, and flicked a light switch flooding the room with a bright, white light that took a while to get used to. I scratch at my back where my shoulder blades are, they feel kind of itchy._ It's probably just these Pyjamas_. The light gradually revealed a colossal, and very expensive, onyx spa bathtub, lined in stunning silver. The modern, unmarked walls were grand panels of a black-grey marble, surrounded by mirrors that made the huge room look even bigger. The sink, toilet and heated handrail draped in fluffy white towels matched and there was a glass door to the steam/shower room. I quickly used the facilities, and dried my hands on a towel, admiring the quality of the fabric. Suddenly I chill wracked by body, I shivered, hot and cold, I hugged my arms to me. It flooded mostly around my shoulder blades. Like... like all my blood was being pumped though my veins to them. It was a... bad... no, awful feeling... like a warning... like something was wrong. I shrugged the strange emotions off. I opened the door and walked outside.

It seemed darker than before. Maybe it was just the bright lights in the bathroom contrasting to the darkness of the hallway... but it was like everything was steeped in shadow. I stumbled down the hall in the darkness, until I made out Hinata's door. I paused, meaning to thank Kakashi again.

That's when I got the first idea that something was wrong.

He wasn't there.

"Kakashi-san?" I murmur into the dark. "Kakashi?" my voice rises, I hear it – urgent and panicked. I get no reply. "Hinata?" I take a step forward. My shoe bumps against something hidden by shadow. I reach down tentatively. My fingertips brush something soft._ Hair? A head? A body? _Kakashi! I dragged him up. He's breathing... slowly. He's been knocked out. I lean him carefully against the wall. I put my hand on the door to Hinata's room. "Hinata."

I throw the door open.

She lies on her bed, illuminated by moonlight on her pale skin. Her long hair flows out around her head like an angel's halo. Her chest rises and falls gently as she breathes peacefully. A small smile lingers on her lips. The huge windows send moonlight streaming into her room... Onto her skin. The shadows lay, still and black against the floor. Everything is still. I relax. All looks ok here. _Maybe Kakashi just... fell asleep...? Still... It was kind of weird and..._

_**Wait!**_ A shadow flickers. Something near to the floor moves. I freeze. _A figure? A animal? A person?_ My breath catches in my throat. A shadow rises up from the ground. Someone dressed completely in black. My feet feel like lead – pressed into the floor – like they've been glued to the spot. I can't move. Completely frozen. The figure takes a silent step towards the bed where she lays. Then another. And another. My muscles burn with wanting to move. The person stops. It looks around. I know I'm hidden in shadow... but _has the shadow seen me?_ No? ... They turn their attention to the sleeping girl.

I see a glimmer. Something silvery. Pointed.

A knife.

It rises above her heart, poised to plunge into her soft chest. My body screams out silently. Tears stream down my face. Why won't I move? My head screams in frustration. Move. Move. MOVE!

The ninja-like form brings the point down towards her, and it all happens at once. Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, I'm there, wrestling the knife off the body. My shoulder blades are burning, like they're on fire. I had somehow crossed the room in nanoseconds. Hinata wakes at the figure's high pitched scream, my yells. I call her name. She screams mine. The intruder and I fall to the floor. The outline takes wild punches at my vitals. Something near me breaks. I'm bleeding. My nose. I fling out a fist, catching them in the face. The shape falls still.

I grab their hands, and pin them to the floor.

Hinata's sitting up on the bed. Wide eyed and terrified. She is staring at her disguised person. I look around. We've broken one of those expensive vases. I look back at her in shock. Following her line of gaze, I slowly remove the black mask.

"Chloe?" Hinata cries and I find myself looking into the angry brown eyes of the red-haired maid I'd met earlier.

"This is Chloe?" I ask.

"Yes! Well... no... Chloe has blond hair... maybe she had a twin..." Hinata hopes.

"Or a wig" I say pulling a blond lump from her pocket. Hinata looks up at me for the first time.

"Thanks for... " She freezes, staring at me "Oh Naruto" she whispers softly. "Naruto, Naruto, Naruto..." I wonder if I'm still bleeding.

"What?" I ask. She just shakes her head and points to a mirror. I struggle to my feet with a sigh. I wonder how bad the damage is. My back aches. It feels... heavy? A clock strikes midnight. I stumble over to the mirror.

I stare at myself.

There in the moonlight was not me. _It can't be me_. But it is. I am dappled in moonlight, my face pale and scared... but... I can just make out two huge, white shapes. Feathers. They glisten in the silvery light. Rising gracefully from my shoulder blades are... wings. Skeletal, deathly white wings... I gape. They're... ghostly... going translucent... fading as quickly as they appeared. I turn to Hinata, shock registering on my face.

"Hinata" I mumble weakly "What...?" She stares at me. Her face white as chalk.

"I told you you were special Naruto. I told you."

**...**

**...**

**A.N: What do you think? Any good? Reviews would make my day pleaseies! :D**


	10. Chapter Nine

Nine

Stuff runs though my head. A shadowy maid who's not a maid. Wings. Wigs. Shadows. Hinata. Wings. Hinata. Wings...

I stare at her.

"You saved me. Thanks." She murmurs.

Well wings... that explains how I'd moved so fast. My muscles felt strong and powerful inside my skin. My shoulder blades itched. By body burned. I felt like... I could beat anyone. Do anything. Like I was king of the world.

"Whoa" I say. She throws a pillow at me. It hits me in the face. _Normal reactions restored I see_. She smiles briefly. I touch my shoulder blades... where, moments before, the huge white wings had risen.

"What am I?" I ask, more to myself than anyone, but I get a reply.

"You're an angel Naruto." I laugh again, _as if_. She sighs. "And... you're going to save the world."

"Yeah." I mutter bitterly "about that..." I begin, but Hinata freezes cutting me off, her eyes wide again. I look over to where she's looking. 'Chloe' is gone.

"No!" She shouts, leaping up "Kakashi? What happened to Kakashi?"

"He was knocked out..."

She runs out of the room, terrified. I follow her on quick, powerful feet. My shoulder blades itch.

"Where?" she cries "Where is he?"I look around.

"I don't know... he was right here..."

"Father!" she begins to run down the corridor. I follow her effortlessly, my legs pounding against the ground. My thoughts are strangely sharp and coordinated. We reach his room. Empty. His office. Empty. The toilet. Empty. The hall, the dining room, the living room. Empty.

"The games room?" she suggests panicked. I follow her. Empty. No Mr. Hyūga. No staff. No hidden ninja-type shadows. No-one.

We search every room.

No-one at all.

We reach the last room we haven't checked and burst in to see the sun skidding along the horizon like a giant red football. Nobody here. Hinata breaks down in tears.

"Father!" she screams. I don't know what to do. I bite my lip. I tenderly feel my nose. It aches. Maybe because she, that is 'Chloe', punched me. I frown. At least it's not broken... like that's the worst of my worries. Hinata sobs into the sofa cushion. I pat her shoulder tentatively.

"It's... urm... ok Hinata. We'll find them." She nods.

"Yeah. We'd better" she dried her eyes on her sleeve. And stand up. I notice how tall she is. Not long and lanky... but strait and proud. "Because it's my fault. If you weren't there Naruto... I'd be... well... Dead." I try to protest but she cuts me off "it is... because... I am the sole inheritor of this estate... the company... the island..."

"Island?" I wonder aloud, she shrugs at me.

"In the Caribbean... it's been in our family for generations. But that's not important."

"It's not?" I felt the revelation that her family owned a whole island pretty important.

"No. I need to tell you about The Inquisition." She takes a deep breath, and I try to clear my head of images of tropical islands. "They're a group of scientists mostly." She says "They operate under the guise of an electronics firm, and steal to fund horrible... experiments." She swallows, tears dampening her cheeks once more. "They're based in London. We have reports that they're making some kind of... human weapon... they want to destroy the world with it and 'rebuild' it as some kind of hideous place for just people like them... they're messed up and twisted and..." she chokes on her tears, I take her hand.

"London?" I ask "an electronics firm?"

"The one where Sasuke works." she sobs, purposefully avoiding eye contact. I swallow. Gathering my wits. I wonder briefly how she knows all this.

"Ok" I say "but Dad... he... he worked there too... Sasuke... I can imagine but... Dad?"

"We... that is... my father and his group... have been researching you. We suspect your father was simply employed by the technology department. They design and build mostly harmless goods for sale for a public front. Sometimes, they are made to create things they don't understand for what's known as the 'main team'. And don't know anything about their high pay coming from stolen sources and the main team being... well... evil. The main team only attack the rich, and those who know too much." That's why they're after Hinata – for her money. They want to use it to hurt innocent people, and to do terrible things. "They hate the poor and have sick, hideous ideas about those who don't earn very much money - that's the people they want to wipe out most. Your father's... his death..."

"Death!" I exclaim "his death was caused by this... this..."

"He found out... he knew too much... the details are unclear, but he did something unwillingly for them in the past, and he found out, he knew what he had done, they hired a cheap kid with a knife... to kill him... and then... before the case... killed the boy... making it look like suicide."

"No..." I mutter, my head in my hands. "Dad."

"Now they've got my father." she bursts into tears once more. My head jerks up. No-one should have to have that happen to their Dad. No-one should have to suffer like me and Sasuke did. Especially not Hinata. Kind, sweet, gentle Hinata. Anger bubbles up inside of me. My shoulder blades itch.

"We'll get him back. We'll get them all back." I growl.

I realise a moment later I meant my own father too... but of course, I know he's never coming back. So I hope it will include the Sasuke I used to know instead.

She tells me we can't go to the police. They are apparently corrupted by a few individuals from The Inquisition. They would shoot us sooner hear us out. I realise her reasoning not to call them earlier. She yawns and rubs her eyes. We've been up half the night. I use Hinata's phone to call Mum instead. I tell her nothing important obviously. I can't go mixing up an innocent woman in all this. I just wanted to make sure she's ok. It's around seven in the morning; she's surprised at my call.

"You at home Naruto?" I tell her no, I'm round a friend's. She's been ringing my home phone for the last half an hour. Sasuke didn't come home last night. She's worried. I reassure her. She's happy to hear from me. She was so worried. I tell her it's all ok. I'm with a friend. I say I'll see her soon enough. She asks if Sasuke's coming home. I pause. There's an awkward silence.

"He'll be home soon Mum." I say, not to worry her. I picture her sad, small smile. She's lonely.

I then call work, telling them rather convincingly with lots of coughing that I'm ill and won't be coming in today. We get ready, search the house once more, and catch the next bus into the centre of London. We get onto an underground train. Hinata seems to know where she's going. My shoulder blades start to itch again. We reach the Piccadilly Circus's stop.

"Here, we get off here." Hinata's face is worried and drawn; she checks her mobile for any calls from her father. None.

We get off, and wander down a huge street, all bustling with people. I check my watch. 10.45 flashes up in green on the cheap plastic dial. We stop. Well, Hinata stops and I bump into her. We look up at a huge, shiny grey building, with many, many windows stretching up into the sky. It is sandwiched between a _Costa Coffee_ and a _Poundland_. I smile, remembering I'm missing a day of work. A large sign towers over the automatic double-door entrance, it reads '_INQ Electronics_'. A huge flier, advertising _Billy Elliot_ the musical, is pasted to a window. A man with some sort of scraper is trying to remove it. The crowds filter past, occasionally, someone goes in. A man with a huge TV comes out. It's a _Sony_. Hinata tells me they have connections with all the major technology brands, and receive funds and things from them. She doubts they know what they're really funding. She takes my hand and squeezes it. I feel my face colouring. I look down at her, she's scared.

"How about we go in and pretend to look for laptops?" She nods silently to my plan and we walk towards the doors.

This is it.

**...**

**...**

**A.N: What do you think? Any good? Reviews would make my day pleaseies! :D**


	11. Chapter Ten

Ten

We go in. It looks just like any other electronics store does - a small shop selling the products. But the main building of offices and things is connected to us, above us and behind the store. Hinata tells me the 'labs' are probably below us – underground. I feel my heart racing in my chest and my back itches as we look at laptops. Hinata fiddles distractedly with a mouse, causing the poor curser to skid up and down the screen.

"Can I, 'elp you?" we turn to see a big man, dressed in the company shirt and tie, his belly bulging over his trousers at us. He is eyeing my clothes with distaste.

"We'd like..." I begin, but Hinata kicks me in the shins. I wince.

"We'd just like to see a... friend of ours. He works here." She smiles winningly at him.

"A friend?" the fat man asks, smiling gormlessly back. I spot the name 'Terry McAllister' next to 'sales team' in plastic lettering on his name badge. I attempt to smile too, wondering where Hinata is going with this. I squirm at having to rely on her.

"Yes, he works in the main department I believe."

"Ah." Says Terry, looking her up and down. I recon he must like what he sees. I frown. "The main team is he? Don't know much about the main team, I'm only retail staff... I'll take you to reception if you like... they'll know where your friend is." We follow him out the back, to where there is a curved oak desk, supporting a bored looking receptionist. "Hey Barb. Two to see you" then he plods back to trying to sell laptops. I look at the receptionist; she had a little plastic placard saying 'Barbra Hale - receptionist' on the front of her desk. She raises a sculpted eyebrow at us.

"Can I help you?" she whines, reminding me horribly of the receptionist back at college. I look at Hinata, no idea what her plan is.

"We're looking for a friend of ours..."

"Have you got an appointment?" whinges Barbra.

"No... But..."

"You'll need an approved appointment."

"Can we make one?"

"I suppose... your name...?"

"Hin... Hinemorino Brimpoint." The receptionist stares at her. I stare too. Couldn't she come up with a better name than that? Still Barbra asks her to spell it, which Hinata stumbles over, as she types it into the computer.

"And?" she asks sceptically. I stare at her.

"Billy Elliot." I say, and nearly punch myself as Hinata tries not to laugh. The receptionist raises her eyebrow again.

"Billy Elliot? Like the star of the musical?"

"Yes, just a coincidence." I mumble. She sighs, but types it in all the same.

"Miss Brimpoint and Mr Elliot," she says "to see...?"

"Sasuke Uzumaki, please." Hinata says. I freeze, realising her plan.

"To see Mr. Uzumaki." The secretary repeats, her fingernails clacking on the keyboard.

"It's rather urgent" Hinata smiles at her.

"Riiight" she clicks a few buttons. "Mr. Uzumaki will see you in five minutes; he's currently in a meeting with our director. Take the lift to level eleven, you want the Clancy Suite, please wait outside until you're called."

We do as she says, noting floor eleven in the very top floor, and sit on the squishy chairs outside the Suite. Sasuke's name is engraved into a beautiful plaque on the door. The furnishings look expensive. I try not to slouch. My shoulder blades are itching again I reach up a hand to stroke them. My hands are cold, and my skin feels hot, soft and tender under their touch. Hinata pats me on the knee to tell me to stop – it looks weird. I stop, but they continue to itch.

The door before me opens, a tall man with an evil, snake-like face glares at me. He has a long, thin face, and his nose is small and pointed, turned up at me like he can smell something bad. His hair is long, greasy and jet black. He is dressed in a smart suit with a purple bow tie. His eyes were the worst though. They were what made me stare at him like aliens had landed. They were twin cold golden pools, which seemed to penetrate my soul itself, shaded with a splash of purple on each eyelid. He regarded me in such a manner like I'm nothing but a piece of trash to be thrown away. He slinks away like a snake stalking its prey, ignoring Hinata completely.

Sasuke's voice buzzes on the intercom. I jump.

"Could Miss Brimpoint and Mr Elliot enter please" Hinata stands and it takes me a second to realise he's addressing us. I run a hand over my hair in an unsuccessful attempt to flatten it. _Here we go._

Hinata opens the door.

Sasuke is sat like an old man – bent over a pile of paperwork with a pen in his hand. He doesn't bother to look at us. His desk, chair – the room's furnishings in general were first class, expensive, though like nothing I'd seen at Hinata's house. Sasuke keeps writing.

"Nice to meet you both" his tone of voice suggests it's not, but all the same he still does not look at us. "I understand this is urgent?"

"Yeah Sasuke, it kinda is." He freezes at the sound of my voice.

"No..." He looks up. "You!"

"What kind of way is that to greet your brother, huh Sasuke?"

"Naruto! You! You..." He leaps out the chair, shoving it backwards.

"Hello Sasuke" I give him a sarcastic little wave.

"What do you want?" he snarls at me.

"I know the truth Sasuke" part of this is true; part is a bluff "Where's Hinata's Father? And her staff?" Sasuke raises one dark brow and laughs maliciously at me.

"You don't know a thing do you stupid big brother?" I stare at him as he cackles to himself "So what if we've taken her daddy?" his voice is whining and patronising. "Why would you care dobe? Anyway... we just sent all her 'staff' as you say, home. No one to help... No one there. Just some freaky mutant kid with wings." His smile is tight and cruel.

I freeze.

"How...? How do you know about that?" I stare at him. My breath catching in my throat. It feels like a huge weight has been placed on my chest. He laughs again, cold and spiteful - not a hint of humour. My shoulder blades burn white hot.

"Oh Silly 'Ruto! There's not a lot you do know is there! I know everything Usuratonkachi... I know what our father did! Ha! The stupid old fool! Still... it gave us our weapon... and now... the weapon's given itself to us!"

"What are you talking about!" I yell. But he's on his feet and running. I tear after him – with superhuman speed. My wings unfurl. I pin him to the wall with one hand. I stare at my reflection in the glass above his head. The wings rise majestically from my shoulder blades, pure white. They have the solid texture of a birds wings, I can feel the hollow bones inside their frame. The soft feathers have a glowing sheen, like crisp white snow that's just tumbled from the heavens. This was my first look at my wings in broad daylight.

"Whoa" mutters Sasuke, taking the words straight out of my mouth. I think I detect a look of admiration in his disgust at me.

"Tell me everything you know" I growl. He stares at me.

"I can't, stupid. You want to know – You'll have to talk to the director."

"The director?"

"Well done genius" I hate the sarcasm in his voice.

"Ok. Take us to see the director." I take a step back, furling in my wings – they turn ghostly and transparent, and the next second, you can't see them at all. He shakes himself. I note how white his pale face had become. "And don't think of escaping... I can catch you in a matter of seconds."He glares at me, I don't like that look of hatred one bit... in fact, he looks like he'd like to spit on me, but is too 'upper-class' to dare.

"Sasuke... What's this place done to you?" I ask, I'm not surprised by the sadness that tinges my own voice. He scowls.

"Don't worry about what it's done to me... big, stupid, brother... but what it's done to you bird boy." I didn't realise what he meant by this until much later.

We follow Sasuke down the hall to the next sweet. The engraved plaque on this door – identical to Sasuke's - reads 'Orochimaru – director'. Hinata grips my hand again for support. Sasuke knocks bitterly and speaks into the intercom.

"Boss? It's Sasuke..." He seems nervous... that was weird.

The voice that reply's is cold and dark, like a snake slithering over wet leaves. It's dark and cruel and twisted all at the same time.

"Sasuke Uzumaki. You've brought me the boy I see." I shudder as I hear it; my shoulders feel like they're on fire. My breath catches in my throat. The doors slide open. We walk in. Me, then Hinata, then Sasuke.

**...**

**...**

**A.N: Dun dun duuun!**

**Naru-chan's going to meet the director! :O**

**Wonder who that might be... *smirks* xxx**

**Reviewers can have a virtual cookie! *Hands them over* :D**


	12. Chapter Eleven

Eleven

The man before me is the man I saw earlier coming out of Sasuke's room. The one with the creepy gold eyes, the dark hair, and the manner that made me feel I was a bug about to be squashed. His presence weighed heavily on us, and he seemed to fill the room with his dark aura and voice. He seemed so out of place against the pot plants and furnishings (which were grander than in Sasuke's room) and yet, it was so right that he was there.

"This is him? The Uzumaki boy?" He asks, in that hideous voice, his eyes fixed on me. Roaming. I felt horrible, dirty under his gaze. Sasuke nods, he looks tiny and scared next to me. It feels... strange... My back is burning, hotter and hotter and itchier every second. My wings are screaming to be unfurled. I can feel the blood pounding in my head.

"Who are you?" I demand. He laughs and repeats what I already know, laughing as I wince at his voice. He is the director of The Inquisition – a group of mad, evil scientists doing terrible experiments, he is Orochimaru, and he is the conqueror of hearts and minds. I realise I feel fear, anger, and hatred all towards this one man.

"And you... my dear boy..." I shudder "are my experiment."

"What?" I stare at him, stunned. I was no one's experiment. I don't want to be experimented on. "What are you talking about? We just want Hinata's father back..." I glower then add "please..." for good measure. Hinata is still holding my hand – I feel her grip tighten, she edges closer to me. He just laughs cruelly at us.

"Pitiful. You are Naruto Uzumaki is that not correct?" I tell him fiercely that it is. "Then you owe us money Naruto-kun." His voice is dark and dangerous. "My little experiment owes me money. And I will have my money."

"What?" I cry, _this was about the money Sasuke leant me? What?_ "I have no money! Sasuke..." I turn to my brother "I've told you..."

"Then you better find some boy," he cuts me off "it is for you own good after all... anyway... we've already spent it." He holds up a tiny microchip. "Do you know what this is?" I frown and shake my head, _why the hell would I?_ "No? I thought not. It's a control chip. We call it the 'Kyuubi'. It will be placed inside our ultimate creation, our weapon. It will control this weapon, obviously. We will use it to destroy this disgusting world, and build our own." He looked at the tiny chip with such horrifying glee that it struck my heart with fear. What weapon could this 'Kyuubi' possibly control?

"What weapon?" I shout, trying to keep the fear from my voice. Was this the weapon they believed could destroy the world?

"Oh? You don't know?" He gives a short, dark laugh, his golden eyes glinting. "You haven't realised boy?" His face is scarred by a thin smile. I shiver at the look he fixes me with. He's not regarding me as a person, it's more like... my eyes widen, my breath catches, he couldn't possibly mean... "You Naruto-kun. You are our ultimate weapon."

"What?" I choke "Me? That's... impossible... ridiculous." I'm tempted to laugh. I can't destroy anything. I can't be a... weapon...

Wait... wings.

I've got wings.

"You are my experiment Naruto-kun." He reaches a long, thin hand to brush the side of my face. I feel sick. It's an almost loving caress. Like he's touching a thing of great dark beauty. He leans forward. I'm rooted to the spot, I can't move as his lips brush my ear as he whispers. "My weapon. I created you. I gave you those wings, Naruto." He smiles, a long tongue slowly snaking out to lick a thing, wet stripe up my jaw line. With a cry I jolt backwards, stumbling over my own feet. Fear burning sharp and cold in my chest. My shoulder blades aflame. Hot and horrible. My instincts screaming at me to run. I reach up to touch my burning shoulder blades to find soft feathers – my wings have unfurled. Hinata's hand slips from mine. I stare at him. Unbelieving.

"You can't have done..." I trail off, my heart pounding.

"Oh but I did!" he is overjoyed, ecstatic "I was the scientist of The Inquisition who requested a 'bring your child to work day' for my staff. I was the one who stole away all those children. I was the one who grafted avian DNA into the genes of every one of them. They all died Naruto-kun." He cocks his head to the side, staring at me as if watching a fascinating specimen in a jar. He licks his lips. "Except for one. I had created a beautiful baby angel – you Naruto. Your wings were hidden normally, you could blend in. You wouldn't even realise they were there until shortly after your eighteenth birthday. They were waiting until you came of age and were ready. To ensure you would be, I gave you back to your pitiful human father, gave him lots of money to look after you, it all went smoothly. I covered up the disappearances of the other children... oh... hundreds there were... every failed experiment. " _He's insane._ He's laughing. I see Sasuke shrink back disgusted. I feel dizzy as he smiles. "I made you the monster you are Naruto! And now you've come back to me!" _No. No. I'm not a monster. I won't do what he wants. I won't be weapon. I'm not a monster. I'm just Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki... and... _

"My father... what happened to him? What did you do to him!" I try to keep my voice calm but my fists shook, my wings burned.

"Your feeble little daddy?" he sneers "He found out. He did some snooping he shouldn't have. Saw my files. He knew what we'd done to you. So we killed him. Hired a boy with a knife. Killed our assassin. Job done." He said it so nonchalantly, so uncaringly, like life... didn't matter at all. _All just another experiment._ My skin crawled horribly. This man made me feel sick. He'd killed my father. _My dad._ "You were... what ten... no eleven at the time?" His voice was almost pitying. Then he laughed. A short, sharp hiss. I stared at the floor, I wanted to cry. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction. I hear a muffled noise behind me, _was that Hinata? _I didn't dare turn away from the snake-man. Anger burned hot and bright in me as tears strung at my ears. This man had killed my dad.

"So you stole me away from my Dad, stuck bird DNA in my body, killed my father, destroyed my family's life, experimented on innocent people, children, and you want to use me as... some kind of weapon..." I summarised angrily.

"Oh yes, Naruto-kun. You're going to destroy the world for us."

"No" I growl through gritted teeth. "Never." I look him in the eye, spreading my colossal white wings to their full capacity. "I will _never_ be your weapon."

"Yes you will, Naruto." Sasuke's voice rings out behind me. I hear the smirk in it. But it's almost sad, unsure. I turn round slowly; dreading what I'll see.

He holds Hinata, her arms pinned behind her back, she winces as he grips her bullet wound. He holds a gun to the side of her head, wide eyed and manic as he laughs.

"You will or your little friend here is going to die. Do you understand what that means halfwit?" he laughs again, his voice a couple of octaves higher than usual. "Bang, bang! Gone! You were too stupid to realise weren't you! We only kidnapped this petty princesses' arrogant father to make you come here. Oh yes!" he crows at the look of horror on my face. "Sure, her money will be a wonderful contribution if she lives long enough so that we can hold her to ransom! But we knew you'd be the hero for your little girlfriend here" he shakes Hinata roughly and she cries out in pain. I grit my teeth; I can feel my wings surging to move, to rip her out of his slimy grasp. "It's all a trap..." he laughs "and now you're here... You'll let us implant the control chip, the Kyuubi, in you. Or she dies." He shakes her again, and she falls to her knees. He keeps a tight grip on her arms.

I take a step towards them. Standing tall and proud. But deathly afraid inside. My whole body is thrumming with avian energy. I am a weapon. _So what? Why can't I be one for good?_ Despair bubbles in me. _Why?_ A silent teardrips onto the floor in front of Hinata. Soaking into the expensive carpet, a little wet dot on the pile. I realise she's crying. My heart aches and pounds inside my chest, like a hammer repeatedly striking an anvil. Sasuke grips her wrists tighter and she cries out, choking on her tears.

"Come on Naruto" says Orochimaru "it's an easy choice. Come here." He holds up a syringe – its empty – intended for taking blood I assume. I can't begin to guess as to why.

"No!" I yell, taking a step backwards again.

"You want her to die?" he nods his head towards Hinata. Sasuke's taken out a gun, thing and black in his hand. He shakes her roughly in emphasis and she cries out again. My chest hurts. I want to run to her. I can't let him hurt her. He presses a gun hard against her temple and my breath catches in my throat. _What can I do? What do I do? What should I do?_

"No." I say again. I didn't doubt they would hurt her. Kill her. My cheeks are wet._ Am I crying? _That was odd. Helplessness overwhelming me. "I can't let you hurt her".

"Then you'll do as I say." His smile is like that of a snake pouncing on its prey. Cold and deep and dark. I look over at Hinata. There is a puddle of tears forming under her. Her whole body is shaking.

"Fine." I say. My body is tense, my wings rigid. "Fine." My whole body cries out against me. It's not the only thing that does;

"No! No Naruto! No! No! No!"Hinata screams trying to tug free of Sasuke's grip. He's struggling to hold her. It's like she's become some wild thing. Uncontrollable. "NO!" I hear the click of the gun being prepared to fire.

"Yes!" hisses Orochimaru "Come here, Naruto-kun. We'll sort you out." I take a step forward. He would shoot her. I can't let him shoot her.

"No! Not for me. I'm not worth it. Naruto! No!"

"Yes Naruto!" he's approaching me now, syringe in hand. "Yes! You want to save her?"

"I do..." I stand tall and proud, my eyes locking with the dark golden ones.

"No! Naruto!" Hinata slumps forward sobbing. "No. No. No."

That's when he smashes an unexpected fist into the side of my head. When I crumple to the ground. My head spins. I hear Hinata scream my name. I feel sick. Everything goes black.

I'm surrounded by... nothing.

**...**

**...**

**A.N: Naruto!**

**:O**

**xxx**


	13. Chapter Twelve

Twelve

She had to watch as the unconscious form of her best friend was dragged away. Sasuke dropped the gun and it hit the floor beside her with a loud clunk.

"Naruto..." his name was a breath of his lips. His knees gave under him and he sank down into the carpet next to Hinata. "What have I done?" He's staring at his hands. Eyes wide. Unbelieving.

"Throw these two in the cells." Orochimaru regards us coldly. The men in white coats who dragged Naruto away take a step towards us. Sasuke is frozen, staring at his hands.

"What have I done?" His voice is not much more than a whisper. He sounds afraid. "Aniki..."

A white coat grabs Hinata's arm and pulls her upright. Ignoring her cry of pain. She protests. Shouts. With disregard to her own life. She was standing up. Demanding to know where they'd taken Naruto. Where is he? Where the fuck is he?

"The labs" Orochimaru laughs. Sasuke's heart fell. If he was in the labs. Naruto would die. The world would be lost. Dad... would be proud. Right? _No._ Not of this. This was _wrong_. After all Orochimaru had told him. About how they were making the world better. All those lies. The world would not be better. The world would be _destroyed_. Naruto. He's kill everyone. _Kill Mum_. Fear clenches cold and strong in his chest. This was_ wrong_.

Sasuke couldn't breathe right. His chest felt tight. Like a iron band was constricting around it.

_They would all die._

_Everyone._

A soft, small tear runs down his cheek. Almost invisible. His breathing stutters out of control. What had he done?

_Naruto would die._

Then they were hauling him up and dragging him off. To the dog crates. He guessed. They were practically cages, where they kept all their prisoners, their lab experiments. People who were no longer called people. The dog crates. Where no one ever returned from.

_We would all die._

...

"Sasuke." Hinata's shaking his shoulder. "Sasuke, pull yourself together." And it's then he realises he's crying. Sobbing. Howling into his knees. It felt like a hollow had been scraped out of his chest and the edges burned so they could never heal. The iron bars of the cage were cold dark lines in his vision. They were locked in. Trapped.

_We would die._

_Naruto would die._

_My brother, Naruto, was going kill everyone._

_And be killed too._

_Because they would kill him... sooner or later._

_Such a weapon would not be allowed to live after..._

_After the purge._

_After he's killed Me. Mum. Hinata. His college friends. Everyone he knows, loves and cares about._

Sasuke remembered a day in that moment. One small, insignificant day. They were on holiday. Cyprus. Mum, Dad, Naruto and him. They were happy. Happy. He and Naruto had pushed their father, fully clothed into the pool. It was brilliant. Hilarious. Their father's laughter had been the loudest of them all.

These people had killed their father. And now they would kill him too. And Naruto, his brother, his Naruto would...

"Pull yourself together!" He was shook fiercely by the shoulders and Sasuke look up into her fierce lilac eyes. Determination shone in them. The cage door swung open. She'd picked the lock. "We are going to save him!" Her voice was resolute, confidant, clear._ They would save him. _She was sure.

And Sasuke never believed in anything more than he believed those words.

_He has to live._

He was Sasuke's brother. His best friend. _His Naruto. _He must not die like their father had. Not like this.

They were going to save him.

They were _going_ to save him.

Definitely.

**...**

**...**

**A.N: Urk... sorry about the lack of regular updates... and this super-short update... college has piled so much work on me this week... blergh... but now it's the HOLIDAYS! :D :D :D**

**Happy Christmas in advance dear readers! :D**

**xxx**


	14. Chapter Thirteen  Unlcuky for Some

Thirteen – Unlucky for Some

I come round surrounded by blackness. Darkness. Cold and thin and pressing on my eyes. _Have I died? _I wonder. I can feel my huge soft wings spread out behind me. My skin itches. I think I'm lying on my back, yes definitely, my wings are under me pressed to... _the floor?_ There seems to be something... like a strap... across my middle, and my wrists, and my ankles... and my neck. There are some on my wings too. I struggle feebly against them. A tube pokes into my left wrist... into my vein. Something covers my nose and mouth... a kind of mask, pumping air in and out of my lungs. I feel dizzy. Sick. Disorientated.

I became aware of voices. Talking. Many, many voices. All mashed together and unrecognisable. A light turns on. It shines down onto my eyelids; I have to turn my face away. The world span more in the darkness at the action. That was when I became aware that my face was sticky – covered in blood... probably mine. It ached, I now realised. My whole body ached. Like all my strength had been sapped.

"Naruto-kun? Naruto?" his horrible voice – Orochimaru. He was leaning over me. Peeling back my eyelids and shining a light into my eyes. The world spins. He says something I couldn't hear to his colleague then "taken a blood sample... he's the one".

A red light comes on. I can taste blood in my mouth. I become aware of a high pitched bleeping sound in time with my own heart beat. My eyelids flutter open to see a red line wiggle up and down in time with the bleeps on a monitor. Orochimaru's talking again. The words are like static. White noise. Buzzing in my head.

_Where's Hinata? Sasuke?_

I feel my own heart pound against my ribcage, like it's trying to break free from the confines of my chest. My wings flutter delicately beneath me. My vision comes more into focus. Something flashes. Orochimaru is wearing a surgical robe, a lab coat and one of those masks like you see on TV to cover his nose and mouth. His dark hair is pulled back and golden eyes scan my body greedily. My breathing stutters at the sight. I am in a dark room... I think... possibly... underground. There are other people I don't know milling around. They are dressed the same way. With white coats. I realise I am not on the floor, but on a long sort of... surgical table.

_God help me_.

Orochimaru holds up a needle, and inserts it into a syringe full of clear-ish liquid. I glimpse a tiny microchip bobbing around inside it. The Kyuubi. My breathing stops, stutters, then comes out in short weak pants. I'm panicking. Hyperventilating. _No. No. No. No._

"No..." I mumble feebly, trying to struggle against my bonds. But I have no strength left. Every inch of me hurts. It hurts so much. So tired. "No." Orochimaru smiles evil at me – his teeth shadowed so they look... pointed... like a sharks teeth. Or a snakes.

"You are my weapon Naruto." He brushes hair away from my sticky forehead almost tenderly. Golden eyes locking with mine. "Time to help us destroy this flawed chaotic world. We will bring order."

He takes one last look at the tiny microchip. I struggle as hard as I can against my bonds. I try to shout, scream. Tears streaming down my face.

"No!" I murmur as he lowers the needle to my shoulder. He pushes the point though my skin. I feel it piercing me. It hurts. Orochimaru goes to press the plunger down. I know that when he does the microchip will enter my system and the world will be lost. Be destroyed. By me.

"No!" I hear someone screaming. I wonder if it's just me again. But the voice is too high... too girly? _Hinata? _I hear footsteps. Running. Orochimaru drops the syringe. The world spins around me. _Is the microchip in me? Why did Orochimaru drop the syringe? What's happening?_

"Naruto!" screams Hinata. I struggle harder against my bonds. It's her... I know it is.

"Hinata!" I shout "Hinata!" Orochimaru has the syringe in his hand again – the microchip is still in it, bobbing up and down in the liquid. He goes to stab it into my arm again. "No!" I yell, tugging at the thick leather straps that hold me down.

"NO!" another male voice yells. A fist crashes into the side of Orochimaru's face. White coats are everywhere. Screaming. There's a lot of screaming. My head hurts. Vision swimming. The voice shouts out again, and I realise it's one I know very well.

"Sasuke?" I cry, twisting my head around to try and look for him. "Sasuke?" In my limited vision, Orochimaru crashes to the ground and Sasuke stands victorious over him, _grinning? _I stare at him.

"Hello brother!" he beams. Tugging at the straps that bind me. Hinata joins him – she has a cut on her face near and her bottom lip's been split.

"Naruto are you ok?" She runs her hands over my face and neck and I nod dizzily to confirm that I'll be fine.

I'm not sure what's happening, but I'm off the table, leaning heavily on Sasuke. His arm wrapped around my waist, holding my weight. A white coats lunges at him, and Hinata punches him in the face and pushes past, leaving him to topple over onto the ground. Another man tries to grab at us and Hinata lashes out again– biting, kicking, punching. I feel a surge of pride for her. My head spins. I groan groggily. One of the white coats has a gun. Orochimaru's still out cold on the floor. Sasuke pulls my arm over his shoulder. My legs don't seem to work properly and I slide down his side, crumpling at the knees, head lolling. The world's a blur.

"We've got to get out of here!" he grits his teeth and pulls me upright again, taking almost all my weight. My visions hazy... I realise I've probably been drugged. My feet won't support me. I'm too weak.

"Naruto!" Hinata's bleeding – she has another scratch to her face. She takes my other arm. I can't feel my wings at my back... I've furled them in... Too weak to sustain them. My legs feel like jelly.

I take a deep breath, trying to clear the clouds in my head, and the next thing I remember is sitting in a black hallway with Hinata's concerned face hovering over me. I realised I must have blacked out.

"Naruto? You ok to walk?" She sounds urgent, desperate. We could be found at any moment. I stretch out my legs; they feel a bit stronger than they did, but still feel stiff and I ached all over.

"Mmm..." I mumble "wha' 'appened?" I shake my head again, trying to knock out some of the cotton wool that feels like it's built up in there.

"In the office? Orochimaru knocked you out... I got dragged off... Sasuke did too... Orochimaru tired to get rid of him." she gestured to my brother, he was skulking in the darkness a foot away from me - he wouldn't look me in the eye. "We yelled and protested" _I bet you did._ I thought. "And we got locked up. But... Sasuke here knows how to pick locks..." I smile shakily at that, remembering the time when we were children. I'd got myself locked in a wardrobe by accident... trying to find Narnia I believe... and Sasuke had to pick the lock to get me out. "So we escaped." She continues "it took us a while to find you... there was this room full of bodies... she shudders... when we found you... you were on this... dissection table thing... with Orochimaru and some other guy's in lab coats. They took some of your blood, and Orochimaru was going to stick that chip in you..."

"But you guy's rushed in..." I remember faintly.

"Mmm... yeah. And we carried you here because you fainted... we're not out of this yet."

"Thanks" I say, and she smiles. I take a deep breath. I feel my strength returning. _The drug must be wearing off._ I shake myself and struggle to a standing position – breathing heavily. Hinata stands too, looking worried.

"You ok?" she asks.

"Never better."

Sasuke stands and turns to face me. _Can I trust him? _I wonder.

"Sorry." he says, still avoiding my eyes. "I'm an idiot. Sorry." I stare at him. "I... thought these people were good... I thought I agreed with what they'd done. I thought anyone who... doesn't earn much money... wasn't worthy of living on this planet. I tried to... to... kill you. God. I'm so sorry. I... was wrong." He stares at the floor "you'd be right not to accept my apology. I'm a real idiot. An idiot who had dangerous views that nearly killed us all. I thought money and... Power... were everything. His words, his lies, were my Kyuubi – controlling me. I sacrificed my own brother. I got nothing. I was dragged into the dungeons. I'm such a... idiot. Dad. Dad worked here... I wanted to follow in his footsteps... I believed he was like Orochimaru... I thought that was the right kind of way to be. I was wrong. Dad was a wonderful... kind... honest man. Who was killed by a psychopathic freak with more money than sense. Now I know the truth." He stumbles over his words, chokes on them. I wonder if that was a badly-concealed sob as his voice breaks "And... I really am sorry Naruto. Though my apology probably means nothing to you." I stare at him. It was Sasuke again... Sasuke from before he went nuts and tried to kill everyone. I blinked.

"You nutter" I say. "You complete and utter twit." He bows his head, gritting his teeth, I wonder if he's holding back tears. I grin. "Of course I forgive you!" He stares at me, mouth open and gaping.

"What?"

"I forgive you! You just saved our lives! Saved the world! How the hell could I not forgive you!"

"Hu? Me? Saved the... no Naruto... I tried to destroy it... it is you who saved us."

"As if! I didn't do anything! I've just laid around on a freaky table for who knows how long! Come on... let's just say it was a team effort right?" He smiles at me... nice... normal Sasuke. He opens his mouth to speak, then freezes, staring over my shoulder.

"Hello Naruto-kun" I spin round – Orochimaru is standing behind me, golden eyes wide and piercing, syringe in hand.

"You!" I spit. My shoulder blades burn and my huge white wings unfold. About twelve white coats stand behind him. I feel a rush of adrenaline – power, flood my system. I'm on the balls of my feet, ready to surge forward and take him out.

"You've saved nothing... any of you... least of all this pathetic world!" His smile is tight and cruel, and his golden eyes flick to my brother "Sasuke Uzumaki... the double crosser... ha!"

"You're the one who double crossed me, double crosser!" yells Sasuke; I feel a surge of immense pride for him – my little brother. I realise how much of a little boy he still is... only sixteen years old. "I won't listen to your lies anymore!"

"I'll give you one chance Orochimaru" I say, squaring up to him, my wings quivering gently. "Leave. Stop all this. Go. Or I will beat you into tiny little pieces. You have nothing left to threaten me with."

"Ha!" he snivels "you're a fool Naruto Uzumaki... and you will become my ultimate weapon." I leap forward – my feet leaving the ground as I soar through the air on silent wings. I stretch out my hand towards Orochimaru. We collide. Crashing to the floor together. I feel his fist trying to hit me. I see the glint of silver. _Stupid, stupid, stupid._ The Kyuubi. How could I forget he had the Kyuubi? I felt hands on my arms, back, shoulders, pinning me down. The world was spinning. A fist cracked across the side of my face and my head snaps to the side. The syringe is in his hand. The Kyuubi.

"Naruto!" That's Hinata's voice screaming. My heart stutters in my chest.

The needle plunges into my arm and the plunger is pressed down. I struggle wildly against it. The weight of the white coats on me. I see a blur of dark hair, Sasuke trying to push them away. But he can't reach me. Won't reach me. Not in time.

"Naruto!" My little brother's afraid. So afraid. That's wrong. I should be protecting him from whatever is hurting him. I feel so sick. So helpless.

My vision blurs as I feel the liquid enter my body as if in slow motion. The tiny microchip is inside me. I feel it latching onto my cells. My body falls limp. The microchip has taken hold. My body won't move. I'm laying face down. I can't move. _Why won't I move?_ I need to get up. Help Sasuke. Hinata. She's screaming. Got to move. Can't move. The blood pumping though my veins feel like poison... I feel sick. I can't move.

I can hear Orochimaru laughing. I can feel the microchip in my arm. It's tiny... but it's there. _No_. Hinata screams at me to get up. _I can't. _Sasuke's yelling too. Orochimaru rolls me over with the edge of his shoe and look down at me with malice, his black eyes glinting like shiny dark tunnels. My eyes struggle to focus. He is holding some kind of controller – like to kind you get with children's remote control cars. I know my expression is blank, practically lifeless. Like a puppet's.

Then, it's like someone has flicked a switch. My body starts to move all by itself. _No._ I see Orochimaru's hands racing over the controller, making the chip inside me move my body. _No_. It was like staring out of a stranger's eyes. The Kyuubi had control. _No._

"Kill them" Orochimaru snarls - pointing straight at Hinata and Sasuke. I feel my own feet take a step towards them. _No_. My heart stutters in my chest. _No. No. No._

"Naruto! Naruto stop!" Hinata begs. Another step. Sasuke stares open mouthed at me;

"Naruto?"

_No. No. No._

I was getting closer and closer to them. I was a weapon. I was going to kill them. _No!_

_STOP! _

My feet kept walking. I had no control. Another step. Another step. I was going to kill them. My friends. My family. The receptionist. The sales people. Terry McAllister. Mum. My mates from college. Everyone. The world. I realised the chip would spare no-one but Orochimaru and his cronies. I was going to kill them. Kill them while watching through my own eyes. I wanted to throw up, but even my stomach would not obey me. I was going to kill them.

_NO! STOP! _My own voice screamed inside my head.

"Naruto." I was standing in front of Hinata. The Kyuubi chip had decided she would die first. My hands put themselves round her neck. She simply looked up at my dead eyes and smiled softly, one hand reaching up to cup the side of my face. "Naruto." She spoke my name softly and her smile grew. "Naruto." My body froze. She was _smiling?_ Why was she smiling? I was going to kill her. She would die. _No. No. No._ My heart felt heavy and cold. I couldn't let her die. I felt tears run down my cheeks. My breathing refused to obey me still, remaining horribly calm. My gaze blank. _I won't kill her. _The force of my determination burned in my chest. _I won't hurt her. I refuse._ The Kyuubi was telling me to tighten my grip._ No. __**Kill her! **__No! __**Strangle her!**__ NO! I refuse. I won't. I won't hurt her. __**KILL HER! **_But my hands did not move. I stayed perfectly still.

"What?" I heard Orochimaru scream in rage behind me. "What's it doing? Why hasn't it killed her yet."

_Look. Look. Look. _My eyes moved._**Kill her!**_They locked with Hinata's. _I can't hurt her._ Her name was unspoken on my lips. _Hinata. Hinata. Hinata. Move. Move. Move._ My mouth moving to form her name but no words finding their way out. _Don't hurt her. Can't hurt her. __**KILL HER!**_ I felt the chip trying to take over again. _**Kill. Kill. Kill.**_ It was drumming on my consciousness – beating it down. _**Kill. Kill. Kill. **_I felt my eyes clouding over again. _**Kill. Kill. Kill.**_ My hands tightening on her neck. _**KILL HER!**_

"NO!" with a yell I flung myself against the wall with all my superhuman strength. Hinata was screaming. There was a sickening crunch as my arm and head collided with the concrete. I slid to the ground. Still. Hinata screams again. My name. Orochimaru was roaring and raging behind me. The world was out of focus. I felt blood sliding down my face. I couldn't feel my arm... but I knew the chip was crushed too. The Kyuubi was gone. Crushed. A small smile lingered on my lips. _I didn't kill anyone._ Then Hinata was there hugging me. Her arms around my chest. Her cheeks wet with tears. My name a sob on her lips. I felt like a limp rag doll, and I flopped in her embrace. She rested my head on her lap carefully, stroking my hair back from my face with such urgency. The world was blurry and distorted. Breathing hurt. Everything hurt. My eyelids fall closed.

"Naruto? Can you hear me? Naruto? Please, please answer... please..."

"Careful." I heard Sasuke say. "He's still got that chip in him, right?" He sounded weary, afraid. I heard her burst into fresh tears.

"No, No, No... Naruto..." she presses her wet cheek against mine. I groan and she jerks back. "Naruto?" A soft tear plips off her cheek onto my bottom lip. The feel of her tears makes my chest ache - a strong, deep ache right to my soul. _I should really stop making her cry._ I'm dizzy. So, so dizzy. Spinning in the darkness.

"It's ok" I mumble, opening my eyes, trying to shake off the blurriness "I crushed the chip – it's gone" I pulled myself up. Orochimaru stands across the hall, a dark murderous look on his face. His hands grip the black controller so tightly it cracks and breaks apart.

"Stop!" Hinata cried "You're bleeding!" I smile at her carefully. My arm hangs limply at my side. My wings itch. I can feel power building up inside me. I am the bird boy. And I have a job to do.

I struggle up, and face Orochimaru – he's furious. But nothing compared to me. I am sleek, powerful. I am a golden eagle.

A sparrow hawk.

An angel.

I make a spectacular leap towards him, soaring though the air – graceful, powerful, deadly.

The ultimate weapon.

I hit him at top speed. He goes down. I pin him to the floor. **Crack.** Punch him. Right across his smug face. _He killed my father. He locked up my brother. He hurt Hinata. He tried to make me destroy the people I loved more than anything. And that was unforgivable. _His men rush towards me. I am torn away from the snake, hands are everywhere, dragging me. **Crack.** Someone lands a blow on my injured arm. I howl in pain. It's a blur of pain and anger. Orochimaru is slithering round behind me. **Crack. **I kick out at one of his men and they crash to the ground in a painful bundle. I push another white coat away. Orochimaru grabs my shoulders from behind, pinning me as someone punches me in the side of my head. **Crack.** I bite the inside of my cheek. A dribble of blood between my lips. Hinata screams my name. **Crack. **I kick my leg out behind me, catching Orochimaru in the shins, toppling him. **Crack. **I throw a random punch in his direction, striking a pressure point on Orochimaru's neck, purely by luck, and he crashes over backwards, hissing in pain. I leap back into the air, soaring over the heads of the men; I aim sharp kicks at some of their in the faces, taking them down effortlessly. **Crack. Crack. Crack. **They land in a tangled heap. There's no one I recognise... except... Chloe... the maid who was not a maid. The name Tayuya emblazoned on a little badge on her white coat. Blond wig gone, it was revealed her hair was a sharp red. I felt kind of bad for kicking her. I whirl round, another man is behind me. My eyes widen in fear. He has a gun. Pointing at me. _No!_ Super-humanly fast, I knock his hand to the side just as the gun goes off. The bullet misses me, landing with a sickening crunch in the leg of one of his comrades, who goes down screaming.

I leap into the air again; above them all as they clamour around trying to grab my legs. I kick at their faces. A few go down yelling and clutching their noses. One grabs my ankle. I think I pulled his arm out of joint as I surged upwards, wrenching him off. The corridor we were in was cramped and had a low ceiling, which I used to push off, adding more speed, more acceleration, more power. The men went down like bowling pins as I crashed into them.

A few more blows and the pile of bodies fell horrifyingly still. Orochimaru stands. Hissing at me from behind his minions. His eyes dark evil slits. Fixed on my own blue eyes. I shudder, feeling a sudden wave of dizzying exhaustion crash over me. Orochimaru wheels around, breaking eye contact and runs. In one last surge of power I leap up, soaring through the air and tackling him to the ground. His head meets the ground with a crack. His eyes are closed. I push myself away from him, sickened. I feel the rest of my strength desert me. The world spins and I sink to my knees. One hand grasps blindly for the wall to support me. The world is out of focus and I close my eyes to try and stop the spinning.

"Naruto?" Hinata, followed by Sasuke, come running. Hinata wraps her arms around my torso. I feel sick. The spinning gradually stops and I lean heavily on her. "Naruto?"

I groaned loudly, eyelids fluttering open to stare at the pair. There was a horrible, stinging pain in one of my arms. I realise it's probably broken. I know I'm bleeding.

"Urgh... what happened?" I pulled myself to my feet, supporting my aching body between my brother and my friend. Their arms around my shoulders. All but holding me up. I stared at the pile of unconscious bodies before me, and rubbed the back of my head with one hand. "Ok... so what do we do with them?" I shook my head to try and clear my vision.

"We could lock them in the cell they locked us in?" Hinata suggested, and we nodded in agreement.

We struggle to carry them all to the cell, and as I furl my wings in, they fade. I lock the door to the cell with the men in. If there are any not-corrupted police left... they'll know what to do with them. _Right?_ I sway on the spot, wondering how on earth to get my friends out of this dreadful place. There are several cages here. I limp a few steps. They are full of bodies. No one alive. Experiments. I feel really sick now.

"Hinata? Hinata? Is that... you?" I hear a voice coming from the next cadge. A hand pokes tough the bars. Reaching out towards Hinata.

"Father?" She yells. "Dad!" She throws herself towards the cage. I open it. Then they're hugging like they'll never let go again. Me and Sasuke turn away. We know our father's never coming back.

"Sorry" says Sasuke again.

"Sorry" I say.

Hinata picks the lock on the cage door, and helps her father out. He's thinner than last time I saw him, and he thanks us both in a gracious voice, eyeing my injuries worriedly as I'm held up by Sasuke. I look around the cages. Bodies. Mostly unrecognisable as human. Blood. So much blood. My knees give out. And Sasuke cries out under the sudden onslaught of my full weight. Hinata and her father are at our sides to pull me back to my feet. I look around at the cages again.

"Is there anyone else here?" I call out into the dim light. It glances of rows of metal bars and I shift uncomfortably in my friends grip. "Anyone at all?"

We hear nothing, and turn to leave, but then a small, desperate voice calls out;

"Are you there? Is someone there? Are you here to help me? Please... please help me!"

**...**

**...**

**A.N: Yo! Lenle's been off up and down the county with NO INTERNET (seriously – it was traumatising stuff) so it took me a while longer to update! Sorry 'bout that! XD**

**If you liked it, drop moi a review! :D :D :D**


	15. Chapter Fourteen

Fourteen

"Are you there? Is someone there? Are you here to help me? Please... please help me!"

Hinata draws in a sharp breath at the sound of someone calling out.

"No..." her voice isn't much more than a murmur. "No way..." her shaking hands ball into tight fists.

Her father's eyes widen in recognition, and then they're running, leaving me supported by Sasuke in the dark. By the time we limp over Hinata's clutching at the bars of a cage and sobbing.

"Nii-san, Nii-san..." frail white hands stretch through the bars and clasp her own.

"Hinata? Is that you? Hinata? Father...?" A boy with long brown hair and soft lilac eyes smiled up at them, the similarities between the three too strong to be ignored.

"Neji! Neji!" Hinata's father was by her side, calling the boy's name, his own cheeks wet with tears as the lock broke under his daughter's onslaught and the door sprung open. He folded the boy into his arms, and Hinata pressed herself to him, sobbing into his ragged t shirt.

"Neji-Nii-San!"

She'd found her brother.

"Neji" Hiashi runs a hand through his long brown hair. "We thought we'd lost you forever... how... why... are you here? What happened?"

"The car crash was staged," he tells them "I was taken from the wreckage and brought here. There was this man, Orochimaru, He said there was this 'locked' gene or something in my eyes. Probably in all our eyes. It's what makes them this colour." Hinata hangs her head at this. She'd often been bullied over her eye colour. "Anyway, Orochimaru wanted to experiment my eyes to see if this gene, he called it the Byakugan, was present. I don't know what it was or why he wanted it, but he got distracted by a project he called 'Kyuubi' instead. I think I was forgotten about."

"Oh Neji..." Their father cups the back of his head and holds both of his children close. "I'm so, so sorry..."

A loud crash split up the touching family moment, and Hiashi pulled his son and daughter to their feet. Sasuke grunts loudly, I realise I'm too heavy for him. I try to put more weight on my feet, but end up crying out in pain and crashing to the ground. Soft hands pull me back up again, and Hinata's cupping my face in her hands and asking if I'm ok._ I am._ I tell her as much. _I'm fine._

"Let's get out of here." I murmur. I feel so much worse now. I think I'm going to be sick.

We follow Hinata's father out. Apparently he knows where he's going from a plan one of his comity had seized once. He supports the frail Neji while Hinata and Sasuke drag me along. We find ourselves in the reception area. Barbra screams at the sight of us and runs out. Hinata's Father takes one look at me in the light – bleeding and exhausted with one arm limp and lifeless.

"You need an ambulance." His voice is critical but tinged with a soft concern. I shake my head, making myself even dizzier.

"No." I pant "Can't have them finding out... I'm a freaky-mutant-bird-kid..." I stagger sideways. Sasuke catches me and slides me into a chair. The world swims in front of me. I know I've lost a lot of blood. Hinata's father raises an eyebrow in a manner very much like Barbra the receptionist's at the mention of the words 'freaky-mutant-bird-kid'.

"I'd better call my private Doctor then. It's fine..." He says before I can refuse "he's with us, not The Inquisition."

That was the last thing I heard before everything went black.


	16. Chapter Fifteen

Fifteen

I woke up in a soft, comfortable bed in a grand room. It was the one I'd stayed in when I first visited Hinata's house... that seems like such a long time ago now. The doctor – a wiry man with a bristly ginger beard informed me I'd broken my arm, and had been very ill. I looked down. My arm was in a bright pink cast. Not exactly the colour I would have chosen, orange would have been so much cooler, but it did the job. I think Hinata was to blame for the colour.

The doctor filled out a form, prescribing some kind of medicine for pain, and lots of sleep, before sidling out. Hinata's father came in. I was told that Sasuke was at home with mum. Apparently, the police had been un-corrupted by Hinata's father's group, and were called by him to the scene. And all members of 'The Inquisition' were now in jail, with the exception of Orochimaru – who was apparently missing by the time the police arrived. I had been taken away privately in the back of the doctor's car, with some very worried friends. And a hyperventilating brother. Poor kid.

Hinata came in, and told the epic tale of how I'd battled Orochimaru. I laughed as she exaggerated random parts. Making me seem like a hero. I didn't feel like a hero. I felt like a freak. A freak with wings. I looked over my shoulder at my back. Invisible wings. I smile slowly, beginning to see the advantages of having wings.

Sasuke walks in with a smile after that. They've cleared his name. He' been under Orochimaru's control, there had been a far weaker chip than the Kyuubi implanted in his arm, called the one-tomoe Sharingan. It had been affecting his actions, making him do things he would have never done otherwise.

He's my brother again. He tells us that all the money the company stole and murdered for has been returned to its rightful owners or given to charities... except... a couple of million pounds made lawfully by the firm, by selling their electronics products, which would be used in part to keep the firm running under a new director... but most of which was being given to...

"Me?" I gape. Sasuke confirms what I'd just heard.

"Hardship money apparently... someone in power is a member of Hinata's father group... and declared it be given to you." I worried for a bit about other people knowing my secret... "Naruto, you can have everything you've ever wanted!"

(In the end I decided to give most of it to Mum, various charities and Sasuke to pay him back for the Uni fees. I paid all my Uni fees off, bought a nice little house near Sasuke's house and moved in.)

"You saved the world Naruto" Hinata reminded me with a smile, as I sat in that bed, my arm strapped into a cast and a bandage round my head. And you know what... I had to agree with her... maybe... just maybe... even a kid like me can save the world.

Right now I'm up in the sky. Sure, i've dreamed of flying, haven't we all? But to actually be able to. To be as free as the birds. It's... exhilarating. My wings are less pure white now... more dappled – like that of a snowy owl. The feel of the wind on your cheeks and streaming though your hair is wonderful. I fold my wings in for a spectacular dive, and then unfurl them suddenly... Ow! Don't try this at home! The sudden strain on my wings nearly topples me from the sky. I've started to laugh. Try stretching out you wings to their full span, and gently gliding over the countryside. I can't think of anything more wonderful. It's like a free rollercoaster ride in the sky. The adrenaline junkies dream. I'm laughing again.

Sasuke now owns the company 'INQ Electronics' but has changed its name to 'Angel Electronics' a bit corny, yes, but I can see why. No more hideous experiments with human flesh will ever happen there again. I work for Sasuke right now actually – it's a lot better than Poundland! I'm a sales man, and I love it strangely enough. I work with Terry and Barbra and everyone else... and it's great.

:D

Oh... and I have another job. Part-time. I'm on the radio, Hinata and I do a show together. Our first broadcast was covering the story of the downfall of the previous director of 'INQ Electronics'. Don't worry. I left out the part about the mutant bird kid who saved the world.

Life can be so... bitter sweet.

The End.


End file.
